You know have lived...

There have been a lot of shared posts on Facebook recently about an article consisting of situations that follow the "you know you have lived in Qatar for too long when..." theme (Article link - "Fifteen signs you have lives in Qatar too long.") Loads of people have made lists like this and so after 20 plus years in the Middle East, I thought I would give it ago. Here is my very own... "You know you have lived in Qatar for too long when..." list. Feel free to comment with any that I have missed.

You know you have live in Qatar for too long when...

• You start saying YANI instead of LIKE.
• You see something in the store that is from America or the UK so you buy five (or 20) because you know it won't be there next time.
• You follow the Land Cruiser in the "new lane" so you get to the roundabout faster.
• You use your horn when it is not needed just because you can. However, please don't be the jerk 10 cars back at a red light that honks THE MINUTE the light turns green. You sir, are not helping.
• You can sing a long perfectly with the song that plays before the news on QBS. Da da dumm dilla dumm da da dum dilla dum - singing it now?
• You see a camel in the back of a truck and think - "wow that looks better than economy class on Qatar Airways."
• Seeing a sheep/goat in the back of a truck doesn't surprise you. Instead you think - "someone is having a feast tonight."
• You know to avoid malls on weekends/during Ramadan/nights. You go as early as you can because shopping is a task and no longer fun.
• You leave your car running when you are getting gas because it is way too hot to sit there without the AC blasting.
• You do not get mad anymore when you find out about something after it has happened. Maybe next time you will catch the event - inshallah.
• You know that bukra inshallah means something will never ever happen. You smile when someone just says inshallah because it is more reinsuring than bukra inshallah.
• You are not surprised when you realize that you have not once stopped at the stop sign near your house. Whoops. 
• You know which speed cameras are where, and when to slow down on what road.
• You flash your lights at the slow car in front of you, which politely means - MOVE OVER. Please note this is a regret of mine and I hate that I have done this.
• You are driving in another country and you realize that you are not following any rules. You park like an idiot, you are the only one speeding, you flash your lights at slow people, and you barely pause at stop signs. 
• You laugh at someone new because they actually use the name of an area and they don't say "you know, I live by post office roundabout" or "take your 2nd right after the big mosque."
• When it is hot and humid outside you turn your car on 10 minutes before you leave your house.
• You find it funny when you have a guest from another country visiting and they complain about waking up at dawn because of the multiple mosques around your house going off for the Morning Prayer. You stopped waking up to those a LONG time ago.
• A hot PINK matte *insert expensive car here* passes you and you look in only to see a GUY is driving it - nice color bro.
• You are shocked how much a car wash is back home because it should only cost 15 QAR.
• You then start complaining about how expensive everything is back home until you realize it isn't that cheap in Qatar either.
• Rain is a good thing. Joking! Rain in Qatar is only good because it cleans away the dust. When it rains people forget how to drive, places flood (once or twice when I was growing up we were sent home from school because the school was flooded), and people just act crazy.
• Weird things on menus don't faze you.
• It is acceptable for you to buy your weekend taxi driver a meal from Hardees on your way home from a night out.
• You start wishing you could wear an abaya because then you could wear your PJs to work.
• You find it funny that people back home think a sand storm automatically looks like a scene from "The Mummy."
• You leave your car running when you stop in at a corner store to grab a diet coke.
• You are not shocked by the people who honk outside a corner store because they are too lazy to get out, walk in, and grab what they need for themselves.

Lists!

Can't sleep so I am making some travel lists and looking at flights. Summer is almost here! 10 days in London is just around the corner. Can't wait to be in my favorite city with some of my favorite people. Plus the count down is - 46 days until MUMFORD & SONS (Gentlemen on the Road Stopover Tour). Also have started researching Thailand and the surrounding travel locations for a future SE Asia trip after my teaching is done. I love getting excited about traveling!

"I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list!"

Susan Sontag

This tumblr is amazing.

Everything about this tumblr is amazing. It really is great. I wish I have thought of doing it because so many of the gif's are SO true! Being a Third Culture Kid is something that other people never really full understand, unless of course they have grown up abroad also.

Just sharing it for a laugh - "When You're a Third Culture Kid"

And yes, I have been called "Cady," it does annoy me when I can't get Netflix, and people often ask me about my accent. 

Florence + The Machine @ SANDANCE!

A quick post about Sandance -

Last weekend was FINALLY Florence + The Machine weekend. One word to describe it - phenomenal  She was amazing live and I am so happy that I got the chance to go. Another one to tick of my musical bucket list! Dubai, like always, was a fun weekend away. It seems silly because it is just an hours flight away from one desert to the next but it is always good to get out of Qatar for a mini-break. Dubai is nothing like Doha so it really feels like you are escaping. Sandance did a great job with this show, and even though the bathrooms where basically in Timbuktu we all had a great time. She rocked every song and it was worth every penny to finally see her sing songs like The Dog Days are Over - clap clap. A weekend of drinks, shopping, too much food, funny taxi stories, dancing, yelling not singing, long lines, and a little sunglass flip action with a "HELLOWWW AWWWAWAAAA."

I cannot finish this quick post without saying that I had my first blonde moment of 2013 when we were in the airport on the way home. Here is how it went... After a the shortest line of the weekend we finally got to the front of the line to check in and the lady tells Pip and me that we are not on the plane. The lady was rude. I was almost in tears. Pip is laughing. Silly me, I had booked us on a plane for August 11th 2013 not May 11th 2013. After the "lovely" lady at the check in counter finally told us where to go the problem was easily solved and we managed to get on the flight - alhamdulillah. Lesson learned for future flight bookings... TRIPLE check my flight dates and then DOUBLE check them again before I press PAY next time. *facepalm*

This kid knows what college/university is about!

You know when you are having one of those days... one of those days you just need a little laughter because work has you completely zoned out. Today has been one of those days for me. I have been typing away, correcting and marking, and responding to emails all morning. My music is playing lightly in my headphones and I am in my own little bubble. Anyone who walks past me probably thinks I am miserable because my face is expressionless and I am starting to get a headache from the computer screen. I am marking online essays and I get to this one essay which makes me giggle.

The essay was about why people go to college/university and the student starts off with all the correct points about education, jobs, and growing up. The student then concludes the essay with, "finally and the most important is you will have lots of parties." I have often heard my father say "I payed all that money for you to party for four years!" He might be right but I always argue back that I did go to class, I did pass, and I did walk away with a diploma. So even though I did have a lot of fun while I was at school I believe that it was fun that needed to be had for happiness. I really hope that people never forget that no matter how serious life gets you should always make room for fun. This student clearly knows that happiness comes from balancing studies with fun and I hope that he/she follows this rule. 

This is not going well... maybe I should make an audio tape?

I have been trying to learn the Arabic Alphabet. Trying is the key word here and clearly I need a different approach. Maybe I should download it as a song for my iPhone and rock out to it while I am stuck in traffic? I am extremely jealous of any expat that has learnt Arabic. I have been living here for way too long and I only know the basics. After a year with Arabic speaking students I have found that sometimes I can understand the general idea of what they are chatting about before I yell at them "ENGLISH PLEASE!" This is not enough! I need to be able to join in on conversations!

I wish I had the time to learn Arabic. It is one of my biggest regrets. I believe that over a year ago when I moved back it was on the top of my list of things to do but like always it pushed aside and I still cannot hold a conversation.

I will learn this alphabet! It must happen! I must have a little bit of Arabic success!

I, __________ , want to see the world.

The Maptia Manifesto - Thailand is only 5 months away.

Yeh I sometimes forget.

After living in Doha for a majority of my life you would think that I would remember that one should never go near a mosque on a Friday at the midday prayer time. Well, sometimes you forget. I was picking up a friend yesterday and I got stuck in this mess for 20 minutes. These are all parked cars and apparently someone parked so the bus could not pass. 20 minutes in the car and the iPhone connector seems to be lost. Bored out of my mind. I couldn't get mad, even though I did, because it was my mistake for not following the golden rule - DON'T PASS BY A MOSQUE ON A FRIDAY AT NOON. Every other road, not near a mosque, is empty. Friday during the day is a great time to get somewhere fast, unless it is noon and by a mosque. This post isn't to rant and complain it is merely a way to remind me of my mistake. I will never be stuck in mosque traffic again. I will not forget the rule!

Raft Race at Bir Zekreet!

The First Annual Raft Race at Bir Zekreet was not something to be missed. Rafts lost control, one sank and part of it was lost forever, and the girls won (I knew they would). When they rocked up everyone laughed at their tiny raft but clearly simple was perfect in the end. I really hope a video of the race surfaces soon as it was really something funny to watch.

As I drove through the very small town of Bir Zekreet I was reminded of the unforgettable, not because it was amazing, camping trip I had when I was at Doha College doing my International Award. We were suppose to go to Sri Lanka but because of the tsunami we were unable to travel there. Instead we went to Bir Zekreet. I had been there many times before and camped in style but I had never been there for a few days at a time, and I had never had to walk for hours in the heat before setting up camp. I remember trying to make it fun, everyone picking places to imagine we were, but nothing really helped the fact that instead of being in a jungle we were in a desert. Someone in my group forgot our pots so we had to share with other groups, thankfully we didn't give her the responsibility of the tent. Often instead of walking we would run in hopes that the pain of just being in a large pit of sand would go away. Our teachers would drive by in a car and point to a "rock" to walk to - I am sure you can imagine the excitement. It was an interesting experience being stuck in a desert with no way out, don't get me wrong we had some laughs but we all knew that deep down we were all thinking -  "why did I sign up for this???" To make matters worse the next level up for the International Award still got to go on their trip to India, and when they came back with photos and stories of rafting and already pitched tents you could see hate in all the Bir Zekreet survivors. They are lucky they are still alive, desert fever is a serious condition!

It is funny how some memories come back to me so vividly here in Qatar. That trip must have been about 8 years ago now but I still remember so much about it. The raft race today was an a great day out and extremely funny to watch. Many stayed the night, however, I made a quick get away at dusk in my car. I don't think I will every enjoy camping again in the desert. Day trips are good enough!

No, my big news is not an engagement ring!

About 2 weeks ago I was given some REALLY good news about my future. Of course I was really excited to share it with my students because we have known each other for a while now. They know I love to travel and we often go into detail about where in the world we would all like to go. Before I go into the details I want to share the conversation with you -

Me - "Guys, I have some really exciting and big news about my life!" 

BLANK - "What is it Catie?? YOU ARE FINALLY ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED??"

Me after giving him a death stare - "No, I am not getting married... I am moving to Thailand to teach English in October." 

Since I told them my news they try and scare me out of going to Thailand saying things like "there are very big spiders there, oh and snakes" and "Catie you will not like the food, you will starve!" I also have been informed that the option of marrying someones brother is still on the table. Seriously? From day one I have been questioned about why I am not married yet and often I am told that I am "only getting older!" I just sigh and tell them "i'm only 24 and I am not ready for the responsibility of a husband" which sometimes is funny because then I am further encouraged to marry a Qatari man because apparently I will "never lift a finger again." After the initial shock and disappointment that I have not been given an engagement ring, or sold for two camels and a goat, I am now being informed that they will all come visit me when I am gone and that I must come back to Doha after my teaching contract is up because they do not want me to leave.

So... I am moving to Thailand in October. I do not know where I will be teaching yet as I am doing it through a program (CIEE). I don't really mind where they place me because this is something that I have always wanted to do. It is going to be a great adventure and I can't wait to travel around Asia while I am there. I will be working with younger students which will be a nice change, and I'll gain more teaching experience. I am really excited for October to come but I am also very sad to be leaving Qatar. Since I returned on January 15th in 2012 I have loved every minute of it. I have made amazing friends, I have awesome co-workers, I have (and have had) great students, great work experiences, and some amazing trips (in and outside of the Middle East).