Survival

It made its foreboding presence known by upping the humidity index to the "unbearable" level. The experience of stepping outside is equivalent to walking into a very hot steam bath...especially since your sunnies fog up immediately.

Ramadan is quickly approaching which means all the restaurants and shops will be closed until sundown, the entire country will be DRY (alcohol-free), and you cannot eat or drink in public (during the daytime) for an ENTIRE month (approximately August 10th-September 10th).

We made our last-minute-stockup run to the Qatar Distribution Center (the only place to buy alcohol in the entire country) this past weekend and basically panic purchased an excessive amount of booze for fear that we may run out. Which is funny because the future hubs and I hardly drink. We are typically 1-2 beers or glasses of wine a week type people. But with the prospect of it being unavailable and restricted, all of a sudden we figured ourselves to be a 1-2 beers/glasses of wine twice a day type couple!

With the onset of Ramadan we have also gone into panic mode with our social calendar.  Suddenly, it seems imperative to have every weekend overbooked with events and gatherings. In our normal life, we plan in advance occasionally and mostly play it by ear. We like to keep our options open and let our moods dictate what we do. It works for us. But not this month. This month we have gone out of our way to book brunches, dinner parties, villa parties, possible boating adventures, cycling rides, etc. I am getting exhausted just thinking about it, but heaven forbid we have a free moment and wind up with nothing to do because everything is closed.

We have been eating out in excess, too; trying to fill our meals with food from all of our favorite places before they close up.  It feels like we are acting as if these places are closing FOREVER.  The hardships experienced during Ramadan have been so hyped up and drilled into our heads since we arrived last October that we seem to be preparing for Armageddon rather than a holy month!

But hey, it's all a matter of survival, folks.

Road Trip Around Qatar

Last Saturday the future hubs and I decided to take a mini-adventure and see the rest of the country outside of the city of Doha.

Whose genius idea was this??  Did I not learn my lesson from the last time we tried to venture outside of Doha?  Apparently I did not.

So off we went into the desert and here is what we found:

A WHOLE LOT OF

NOTHING

and some FLAME stacks from all the natural gas wells

also what desert adventure would be complete without some domesticated CAMELS

and some wild ones too!

The best part...

That is about 124 degrees F...in case you were wondering.

Moral of the story, life inside the city of Doha is looking pretty good right now.

Adventures in non-american sports part 2

So there is a little something called the World Cup going on in South Africa this month. 

http://www.fifa.com/

Us Americans tend to be very passionate about football, but not the type of football being played in this tournament.  In fact, if you are living in America you probably have not heard that much about it, unless you hang in a "football" playing crowd (I did when I lived in the states).  Also, ahem, we call the sport SOCCER.

I would say that most Americans have played soccer at some point in our lives (on a recreational team at the very least), know who David Beckham is (not for his soccer playing skills though), but honestly do not follow the professional sport AT ALL.  Some of us may even know this hunk of gorgeous flesh (also not for his soccer playing abilities):

(you are welcome, ladies.) From Emporio Armani

However, since I now live outside of the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, I have come to understand that the World Cup is kind of a big deal to the rest of the world.  It is all ANYONE is talking about over here. ALL.DAY.LONG.  On Sunday everyone I ran into that day asked me if I saw the England vs. US match (not game, but match...remember we aren't in Kansas anymore.) and what I thought about it.

My response:

"World Cup; um, cool, GO USA.  But what I really want to know is, 'How about them Hokies?!' "

And then I kindly showed my British colleagues how USA covers the World Cup: World Cup via The Huffington Post 

America you are awesome.

You Know It Is HOT When...

You step outside and instantly your sunglasses are fogged up with steam.

You get 3rd degree burn from the leather seats in your car (buying black land rover with black interior is looking like it was a bad idea)

You consume 7 liters of water during a 70 km bike ride (ave 1 L/10km) and still feel dehydrated and like you are going to die. (don't worry mom, I promise I won't go outside riding anytime but night until summer is over from this point forward!)

[in Qatar you have to take this mantra literally]

You have to bring an inside AND an outside outfit to work so that you don't get hypothermia from sitting in AC in sweat-soaked clothes

Your Ten Day Forecast looks like this:

and it is only the START of summer!

I don't know what I am going to do when it is August and 150 Degrees F.  Has anyone invented portable AC yet??

Tasting the Pavement

People in the Middle East seem to be very confused by my hobbies.  Yesterday's events only further proved this theory.


I got into an accident while cycling at 45 kilometers per hour (~28 mph).  I was reaching down for my water bottle and hit a raised reflector in the road (I didn't see it coming). Since I only had one hand on my handlebars I was unable to correct my balance and I went flying directly into the highway...where the locals tend to drive like maniacs at speeds greater than 100 mph.  Luckily, there were no cars immediately in the location that I landed but traffic was oncoming quickly.


Now in the US (at least where I am from) if a driver came up to a cyclist crashed on the road they would stop their car, get out and try to help that person or at least make sure that they are OK.  This is not the case in the Middle East.  Instead the driver slows down and starts flashing their lights and honking at you for getting in their way.  Then after they have made you aware of your "error", instead of stopping to help they will just drive around you while continuing to honk out their displeasure. Awesome.


As I skid out into the highway I was screaming in horror and pain.  My entire right arm, shoulder, hip and lower leg became covered in "road rash" aka a wicked gravel filled abrasion.  I hit my head, causing my helmet to dent and crack.  I was dizzy from the impact and unable to react quickly enough to get myself out of the road and dangers way.  Thankfully the other cyclists I was with (one of them being the Construction Manager of my project) were able to react quickly for me.  They were able to move me and my bike to the side of the road and help me.  I have to note that even after I was out of the road, still lying on the ground, cars continued to drive by and honk at us.  Seriously, I am almost POSITIVE that at least SOMEONE driving by in the US would stop and help if they saw someone in distress on the side of the road without a vehicle parked nearby.  Obviously a bunch of people on bikes are not going to be able to get a person to a hospital if needed. Am I right?


Anyway, I was able to get to the hospital to get cleaned up and checked out.  All is well.  Except again, Middle Eastern people don't understand my hobbies.  Every doctor & nurse I saw kept asking me if I got into my accident while swimming.  What?!  How on earth would I manage to get that scraped up while swimming??!!  My only guess is they were extremely confused by all the spandex I was wearing since all the Islamic women here wear like full spandex outfits that cover their entire bodies when they go swimming.  But again, I was wearing spandex shorts cut well above my knees and a short sleeved spandex shirt...and also carrying a cracked helmet.  I would think the helmet would be a dead give away.  Wrong.  Then when I told them I got into the accident while cycling, they responded: "Motorcycle?".  Well, at least that is a bit closer.  None of them seemed to believe that a person could ride a bike at 45 km/hr either.  Guess they have never heard of Lance Armstrong.

Splash

You are hanging out at a boat party up on the top deck and suddenly you think to yourself; "boy, it's hot; I'd sure like to go for a swim!"

So what do you do??

JUMP ON

IN!

(SPLASH!)

oh yeah, did I forget to mention this was a PIRATE boat party??

AWESOME.

Lime is apparently not the only fruit that goes with salt...

Sometimes during lunch at work I go to a jobsite canteen to eat with a few of my coworkers.  The canteen closest to my office (while it does have killer chocolate muffins) does not typically serve the best food so we usually bring our own food and eat it there.  (side note: there is this rad canteen out in the labor camp for management (additional side note: yes, you read that correctly, labor camp aka where the cheap labor lives...obviously we are not in America anymore!) that serves seriously awesome, authentic, made-to-order, super spicy Malaysian food for dirt cheap that we like to go to, but it is a bit of a hike so we don't go often.)  Anyway, when people of different cultures bring food for lunch it can lend to be quite an interesting experience. 

I am constantly seeing and trying things I have never been exposed to before.   Funnily enough, while I have not seen or tried many of the "common" Middle Eastern, Indian, or Far Eastern cuisine; most people I work with from these countries know all about "common" American foods, fruits, & vegetables.  Also at the grocery store; I have never seen nor heard of half of the fruits and vegetables and would have no clue how to cook or what to do with them either.  So it is pretty cool for me when my non-western coworkers are kind enough to give me things to try.  Actually, the Lebanese guys I sit with at lunch usually force their food on me...I will get up to get a napkin or something and magically some random food will be left where I am sitting and then they will all chant, "Yalla, yalla! Try it, try it!" ("yalla, yalla" literally means "quickly, quickly" but the expression roughly translates to "let's get it done!" or "let's go!") 

Today at lunch was no exception. One of my Lebanese coworkers had brought in a bunch of fruit that was grown at his home in Lebanon.  Of course it was all passed down to me to sample, learn the names of, and consequently butcher their language as I try to repeat it.  (Teaching me Arabic words is another source of entertainment for them, as my pronunciations are absolutely brutal and they find it hilarious.)

Here is what I tried...apparently all of these fruits are really nice with a cold Heineken and some salt.  Or so I am told.

Janerek

Janerek most resembles an under-ripe plum in my opinion.  It is soft enough to bite, but more crisp than a ripe plum and also more tart.  You are supposed to have it with a little bit of salt on each bite. (and "Kimberly, it is so perfect with a beer")

Amande

This is actually an almond, but with its outer shell and before it hits full maturity.  You are supposed to eat the full thing, dipped in salt, and again chased with a beer. (Got to love these Lebanese guys.  Can you tell we are living in a dry country...everything tastes better with a beer! ha.)

Lastly, Akedeneh

This was my favorite of the three.  The english word for this fruit is Loquat, they are originally from Japan and there are farms that grow them in California. Although I personally have never seen or heard of them before.  It was sweet and had a really nice texture sort of similiar to a papaya or mango, but does not taste like either.  This one does not require salt but of course, would be enhanced by a Heineken.

So now I think I am going to have to go home and grab a beer and test their claims... Yalla, yalla!

Tricked, Fooled, Conned ... A Sports Story

Did I ever tell you guys about the time I got tricked into running a marathon?


Yes, that is right; I was fooled into completeing 26.4 miles of self-inflicted physical and mental abuse.


I am pretty sure I have mentioned I ran the Dubai Marathon in January, but what I failed to explain was how this feat ended up being added to my list of "Life Achievements". (And yes, I have contemplated puting my marathon victory on my resume under "skills", haha)


Clearly, I got tricked into this because no one in their right mind decides to train for a marathon only 13 weeks before it (with Christmas & New Years falling square in the middle), in the HOT Middle Eastern desert, in a city that only has 2 safe places to run long distances.  But alas, I am a sucker and a fool.

It all started with an e-mail suggesting that it would be fun to go over to Dubai for a weekend getaway and while we were there run the 10K race that was being held in conjuction to the marathon.  Somehow this fun suggestion snowballed into a "who is the bigger idiot man" competition where 20 of my coworkers (including the fiance' and myself) were peer-pressured into running the marathon.  We even paid 80 USD for the awesome pleasure of torturing ourselves.

To be honest, the idea of running and training for a marathon did not seem *too bad* when supposedly 20 other people would be there to support you through the duration of training and during the actual race.  However, as the weeks went by more and more people hung up their running shoes.  By the time race day came only 4 (myself and the fiance' included) of us actually made it to the starting line and only 3 crossed the finish. 

And let me tell you...running a marathon is no joke.  I mean you hear the word marathon and you think "yeah, that sounds tough," but really you have NO IDEA until you actually run one.  Of course, I was completely fooled & under prepared.  I ran the first half of the marathon in 2 hours (a decent pace) and was having a good time.  It felt pretty good and I was enjoying seeing Dubai for the first time.  The problem is, in my limited amount of training, I never ran more than half a marathon distance. BIG MISTAKE.  I had no flipping clue what I was up against because the second half of the marathon was not only hard, but it was HOT (we are talking nearly 100 degrees).  So hot that I was pouring an entire bottle of water over myself at every 1.5 mile water station.  And the last 6 miles were BRUTAL.  I was on the verge of emotional hysteria by the time I reached the finish; bursting into full on tears as I crossed because I seriously did not think I was going to make it.  Afterwards I vowed that I would NEVER run another marathon again.  Been.There.Done.That.

Here I am in all my marathoning glory (totally beating the cr*p out of that fit looking dude)

But here is the awful truth: the further I get away from the experience, the more I find myself contemplating attempting another one or maybe something more....  I keep thinking, "I could have run that faster" or "I can do it without crying".  And there I go now fooling myself into more physical punishment.  Which, the point to my story being I have now been CONNED, yes, conned into completing a HALF IRONMAN.

WTF, KP!?!?

I know guys! I know.  But it's not my fault!  I swear. (ok, maybe a little bit my fault)  So basically, after recovering from the marathon I have been thinking all sorts of crazy things.  For some reason I now believe I am part super-human, perhaps?  I don't know.  But what I do know is that I have this super cool cycling friend (who the fiance' picked up for me one night - that is another story though) M from Australia who is super awesome and also a triathlete and she convinced me that I can be one too.  I currently cycle between 50-80 miles a week (if not more), I have got the running thing down (thank you marathon)and I used to swim competitively in High School - so I figured I could definitely do a Sprint triathlon (750 m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run) or with a bit training an Olympic triathlon (1.5 km swim, 40 km ride, 10 km run) no sweat.  But she flipping signed me up for a Half Ironman (1.9 km swim, 90 km ride, 21.1 km run aka The Long Course)! See?? I totally got conned!

So here I go again - signing up for more self inflicted physical and mental abuse.  Seriously, I should probably get my head checked.

Shamal of Doha

Ok so I have to admit; I have been here for nearly six months and had yet to travel outside of Doha city limits.  (I know, bad KP!!) This past weekend we decided to remedy that situation and take a mini-road/bike trip up to the Northern tip of Qatar.  First we started the day with a 70km (about 44 miles) cycle up to Al Khor and back (see the blue line on below map); another place I had never been.  It was a great ride and we saw a heard of about 30 camels grazing in the desert...um, well I actually missed seeing them on the way up to Al Khor because I was heavily engrossed in a political debate with a Brit who was on our bike ride. Oppsss.

After recovering from our morning ride, we grabbed some lunch and headed out on our journey up Al Shamal Road (see the red line).  Shamal is the Arabic word for "North" although prior to taking this little jaunt we thought it meant "Sandstorm" for some unknown reason, aka we thought we were taking a voyage up "Sandstorm Road".  Sounds way cooler, right?!

Now, I bet you are wondering, "KP, so what is Shamal (North) of Doha??!!"

Well, let me tell you!

A WHOLE LOT OF ABSOLUTELY, FLIPPING NOTHING.

SERIOUSLY.

We drove for almost 2 hours straight through endless stretches of desert with random spots of palm trees and shrubbery scattered about and finally reached the coast.  The tide was so far out that we could hardly see the ocean from the shoreline...all we could see was sandy muck and stranded wooden boats waiting for the tide to come back in. 

Oh yeah, we may have seen some goats:

And we may have also found a little park.  Which was extremely strange because it was seriously in the middle of nowhere.

We might of done a bit of recreational activity in said park...because we have the combined maturity of a 12 year old

We also may have found some ruins of an old deserted city:

and might have explored a fort from the 1800s...

And of course,  we just might have hung out with some camels on the way back:

Ok, so maybe there is not absolutely nothing North of Doha... but lets just say it is not very likely we will be making another trip up that way any time soon...cough*EVER*cough

"You look like a sad clown hooker"

Since moving to the Middle East, I have become a bit behind in all things pop culture.  There are approximately 3 stations on the radio that play music in English here and it is not played consistantly.  The majority of television channels are in Arabic; although they do play American shows but dubbed over.  Of the channels that are in English, the selection is limited to BBC news, CNN, Fox Movies (which plays the MOST random assortment of films ever), and a couple channels from Dubai that play old seasons of a few standard American sitcoms and dramas (ex. Friends, NCIS, Scrubs).  So our TV watching here is limited...actually we don't even turn on our TV at all.  It isn't even plugged in!  Instead we do most of our viewing on-line from third party (probably illegal) sites because people outside of the US are not able to watch episodes from the station website for some reason.

Not that the fiance' and I watch a lot of TV, but we do have a few shows that we LOVE and enjoy watching sometimes during dinner or on a lazy Saturday morning.  If you haven't figured it out already, I am a HUGE fan of How I Met Your Mother.  Other favs include: The Big Bang Theory (or as the fiance' calls it, "The Geek Show"), True Blood (me, not him, he prefers Top Gear) and our love-to-hate favorite Gossip Girl.  Recently, another show came on my radar...and that my friends is the glory that is GLEE. 

Yes, I realize I am behind, since my friend Perez Hilton has been raving about this show since it came on air and I just started watching it last week.  But let me tell you... what a fabulous show.  It is the perfect mix of comedy and drama; a superior blend of pop songs and showtunes; and is just flippin fabulous.  The fiance' is not so sold on the show and taunts me mercilessly about it.  Calling it lame and flambouyant.  (Um, yes, it is FABULOUSLY flambouyant, that is the point!)  But slowly I am wearing him down.  I caught him watching out of the corner of his eye (he was pretending to "read the news" on his laptop next to me) just yesterday.  I know he was paying attention too since he quoted that I looked like a "sad clown hooker" (a line from Hairography episode) jokingly later on.

Anyway, if you have not seen Glee, seriously go and get watching.  I highly recommend it.

KPs Epic Austrian Adventure

Adventures in Non-American Sports

Today during lunch I have been invited to play squash with a few of my British co-workers. 

First of all, my initial reaction was... "Squash?! Oh, you mean racquetball?"

[Side Note: Yes, I am from America and we play RACQUETBALL, not squash; BASEBALL, not cricket; and SOCCER, not football; and our FOOTBALL is played with padding, helmets, and an oblong ball. But that is a whole other discussion.]

So anyway, no, apparently they are two DIFFERENT sports because one uses a hard ball and the other a soft.  And it is called "Squash" as a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used to play it. (In case you were wondering, which you probably weren't)

My co-workers asked me if I've played/knew how to play...Of course I told them "Yes."   Actually it was more like, "Heck yeah!" with a fist pump.  But seriously, I have only played raqcuetball like once before, BUT I have researched squash on Wikipedia, so that counts, right?! RIGHT.

So here goes nothing...ugh, I am totally going to get my arse handed to me by a bunch of Brits and I am never going hear the end of it. Awesome. Stupid squash.

[Interesting tid-bit: Wikipedia mentions that squash has been recognized as the "world's heathliest sport."  WTF does that mean? Seriously, I would like to know.  And how exactly did they decide that?!]

DID YOU KNOW - *aka Random Thoughts/Facts from the Middle East

Did you know:

• that alarm clocks are unnecessary here?  The 4 am call to prayer blasting from the speakers of every mosque in the city each morning is 100% more effective in waking you up than any screeching buzzer will ever be.

• that there is a turn on switch for absolutely everything? Not just for turning on lights, but a switch to turn on the water, another to turn on the hot water, one to turn the ignition to the stove, and there is even one on every single outlet.  Also, that there is no such thing as having an electrical outlet in the bathroom!?  Want to shave, curl your hair, or use an electric toothbrush?  Forget it!  But each bathroom does come equipped with a bidet and a foot wash just in case you were feeling in need of a quick clean.

• that in order to get your driver's license in Qatar you have to pass an eye exam where they make you read a row of letters in the tiniest size possible?  But the truth of the matter is that they should really test how well you can see the giant Land Cruisers that are constantly about to run you over.

• that running outside in temperatures of 30-35 degrees centigrade at 80-90% humidity is really, really hard? Oh yes, and this is at night!  Also, that the writer of this blog has foolishly signed up to run in the Dubai marathon on January 22nd and consequently has to run almost every day in that heat by choice?  And furthermore, that the driving in this city is too dangerous for running on or along the streets and that there are hardly any parks so there is really only one safe place to run?  It is a 6 kilometer long crowded path along the ocean where all you can do is run back and forth until you hit the distance you want to run.

• that maps are rendered useless because the roads are constantly changing due to the fact that the ENTIRE city is one MASSIVE construction site?

• that they pretty much don’t sell tampons here? I had to go to three stores before I found a place that sold them. They are OB without an applicator and I am not happy about it. I should have known better and bought like a years supply of Tampax Pearls before I left. God you know it is bad when you miss your tampons.

• that the have more shopping and more malls than the whole world could possibly need?  Also that one of the malls is modeled after the city of Venice and has a canal throughout it with boats you can ride in? (promise to post pictures soon)  Side note: all the Qatari women carry the most ludicriously expensive handbags I have ever seen.  Talk about purse envy; this girl has got a bad case.  These bags make my Coach and Marc Jacobs look cheap!

• that truly it is NOT terrible living here? It is just a bit ridiculous/comical at times.

My Middle East Must-Haves

In preparation for the big move, I went on a MAJOR - they put a hold on my credit card thinking that somebody stole it kind of major - shopping spree to buy essentials that will hopefully "work" in my new work locale.  Pictured below are just a few of my purchases care of Banana Republic, JCrew, and The Limited.

Due to the culture of my new home, I will no longer be allowed to expose my shoulders or my knees (and the leg above them) in public.  In addition to the clothes pictured above, I also purchased a slew of stylish wraps, pashminas, and cardigans (I could not find picutres) to help a bit with the covering up.  Most of the purchases I made are in light colors and super-lightweight fabric due to the extremely hot temperatures in Qatar.  Hopefully, my wadrobe will be acceptible and they won't stone or flog me as my dear co-worker Lambo lovingly pointed out to me at 6:20am in the morning last week (not the best way to approach me in the morning). No worries  - Qatar is MUCH, MUCH more liberal than it's Islamic neighbors...or so I am told.  Guess we will have to wait and see!