Oh Baby Baby!

Hello all! It's been a bit challenging to post a new blog because my aunt just had a bouncing baby boy! Well it's been exactly a week since that has happened but still the excitement hasn't settled yet. I'm so happy to have yet another cousin and he's so adorable! He plus my other cousins here now equal five! What a number! That's where I come in. While mommy and the new baby adjust to home life, I'm here to help out and ease my aunt's burdens a bit. Here's a little peek into my family:

 Mommy and baby 

Daddy and baby

Me and the eldest cousin

Me and the second oldest

The two younger cousins

Isn't my family just gorgeous?! Well, I told myself that when I ever want to have children, I will come to Doha. First of all, my aunt delivered in the Hamad Women's hospital. Her total bill for a C-section delivery was only 400 Qatari riyal, which comes to about $109.90. Wow! She says it's this low because (1) she has a medical card, which only requires her to pay 100 riyal ($27) a year for medical coverage and (2) she didn't deliver in a private facility, which would require her to pay at least 20,000 riyals ($5,495). That's incredible to me! Also price aside, the reason I would like to deliver here is because of the floral arrangement given by family and friends to the new mother. There are very beautifully arranged and so vibrant! My aunt received this one from some Qatari friends of hers and her husband: 

It even came with a side of chocolates that had the words "It's A Boy" written on them. How cute is that?! It's possible my reasons for choosing this place to give birth may be a bit shallow (hehe) but I think the travel bug bit me in such a way that I'm just so happy to be in a new place and to experience a culture so different from my own!

I feel at peace here and I don't feel like an outsider for the most part. At least not when I'm around my family. But when I go out to the supermarket or anywhere, I feel like I'm on display. My faith doesn't require me to wear a hijab but sometimes I would like to just get one so that I can blend in. I get stared at so much it makes me a bit uncomfortable sometimes. It gets even more out of hand when I walk around with my white uncle and my cousins. I'm all for interracial love because love isn't limited to color of the skin so I see no problem with it. My aunt and uncle are so used to it that sometimes they just stare back with the same intensity that they receive. For me, I'm not sure if it's because I look so different or what but the stares will definitely take some getting used to. In the meantime, I just shrug it off. At the end of the day, I know that I'm not dressing immodestly or in any kind of manner that draws attention to myself in a bad way. 

All that aside, I'm still in love with Doha and I would definitely like to stay here for as long as I can. I'm even in the process of seeing how I can get a job here, God willing (or Insha'Allah in Arabic). I'll give further details about that process soon. Doha is definitely a nice place to live in and stay for a while. The food is great! Most of the people are kind and hospitable! And the weather is definitely agreeable! Here are some more pictures: 

Until next time, take care and all the best! Oh and happy birthday Daddy! I miss you!!

First Impressions: Doha, Qatar

(Qatar in Arabic)

I've now spent about a week in Doha. What a week it has been! There's so much to tell you all but I will try my best to keep this memoir as short as possible. Where do I even begin?! Already, I've been to a party and a local park, gone shopping in various shops, and conversed with brilliant diverse people. It is definitely an adventure being here in Doha!

Doha is definitely breathtaking! When I first arrived here, which was at 4am in the morning, all I can remember was that the place looked so clean! I literally could not see one piece of trash anywhere on the highway nor on the sidewalk! At night, the city lit up and the view was amazing. During the day, Doha looks like paradise. There are palms trees everywhere. I can definitely tell that this city is brimming with wealth. The architecture of some of the buildings here are unique and magnificent. Words just cannot describe how beautiful and serene this place looks.

Beautiful scenery aside, I can definitely feel the influence of the Islam religion here. Everywhere I go, it is very common to see the majority of the Qatari people in the traditional Muslim clothing. The women wear their hijab or their niqabs and the men were their thawbs. Seeing them like this definitely makes me more self-conscious about my appearance because I don't want to be that tourist that wears whatever I want and offends others. However, I feel a bit sorry for the women because their clothing is in all black and the heat here can be terrible at times. 

Speaking of climate, the weather here is like being in the desert. The early mornings and evenings are quite chilly but during the day, the sun is out with all its presence. It can get as high as 79 or 80 degrees F (26 or 27 degrees C) and I'm told this is their hottest winter. Let's just say it's nice to pull out the sandals and short-sleeve shirts again.

Additionally, there are some other disparities I found here in comparison to the US. First of all, this country doesn't follow the Western calendar system at all. Here, the week starts on Sunday and ends on Thursday. Friday through Saturday is considered the weekend. Friday is usually when the people go to church. Church here is the mosque. My aunt told me there is one mosque about every 10 meters because they want to make the mosque accessible to everyone. I live close to one and every few hours, I can hear the call to prayer on the loudspeaker.

Also, there are a lot of expats here. Expats is short for expatriates, which are people who live (and work) outside of their native country. My aunt and uncle here (both of Irish citizenship) are expats and a lot of their friends are as well. I've seen a lot of expats from the UK, Bangladesh, India, South Africa, and Thailand. There are many benefits to working and living here. Namely, there is no tax on income here. Whatever you make is what you keep. Also, there is no tax on food so if you go to a restaurant you don't have to figure out the tip. Gone are the days of calculating a 20% tip on a $50.00 meal. Yay! Moreover, the currency here is called the Qatari Riyal and 1 Qatari Riyal equals 0.27 US Dollars. 

All in all, I can definitely see myself living here. Everything I can find in the US, I can find here.  Granted, the religion and the customs may take some time to adjust to (I'm a proud Christian) but that's all part of culture shock. I'm more intrigued by this culture and I make sure I ask a lot of questions just to get an understanding of what is around me. I'm not sure what the rest of my stay will be like but so far I'm enjoying it here. Most of the people I've met are very nice and hospitable, except the drivers. It's such a nightmare to drive here. All the rules are thrown out of the window. And I thought DC driving was bad! God, help me!

On a sidenote, I learned two new Arabic words: "Yallah" (pronounced Yah-lah), which means "let's go" and "Shukran" (pronounced Shook-run), which means "thank you." So shukran for reading my blog and I hope you got something from it. Until next time, take care!

My flight experience

What a trip! Sadly to say it's not even over yet. My journey to Doha has been a test of my patience so far. First, I started my journey in South Carolina. After spending Christmas with my family, I had to fly back to Dulles airport in order to go from there to Abu Dhabi and then later to Doha. That means I'm taking four flights to get to my destination. I'm used to flying so it's not that difficult especially since three out of the four flights are under two hours in travel time. It was the 15-hour journey from Dulles to Doha that I was dreading.

So the first two flights went on without a hitch and I found myself in Dulles in no time. My auntie and cousins came to get me since I arrived in the early afternoon and my later flight was around 10pm. After spending a few hours with them, I went back to Dulles around 5 pm to wait for my later flight. And I mean wait! The flight was delayed for about an hour. I used this time to keep my family posted, to make sure I was sitting at the right gate, and to send silly Snapchats. I was flying with Ethiad Airways, a company I'm not really familiar with but the service was pretty good. I could tell from the check-in process alone that the airlines was detail-oriented, all business, and efficient. They even weigh all your carry-on to make sure it complies with the weight requirement. Let's just say your girl here tried to take everything but the kitchen sink with her. Thank God I was able to shift stuff around and meet all the requirements. Yes Lord!

On my way to boarding the plane, I was just praying that I wouldn't get the middle seat. It's just really inconvenient if you have to use the bathroom and I feel like I have to fight the others for my right to use the arm rest and let's not even get started with bumping shoulders. It's just too much! As luck would have it, I got the middle seat. Yay me! Maybe if I prayed that I did get the seat, then I wouldn't get it. God definitely has a sense of humor. However, at the end of this flight I was kinda glad to get the middle seat after all because I met some nice people sitting around me.

The flight was fine. Other than losing all sensation in my lower extremities, it was fine. The food was really delicious! I only got up once to use the restroom because the lady sitting next to me in the comfortable aisle seat got up so I seized the opportunity to get my stretch on. I went to the bathroom and had a mini-workout in there. I still had about 7 hours of flight left. God please help me!

Sitting on the plane I definitely felt like a minority. Besides myself, there were only about 2 or 3 brothers and sisters on the plane, if you catch my drift. Thankfully there were English translations after the Arabic speaker. The Arabic language is just so remarkable to me because it uses symbols in lieu of letters. It's definitely something I want to try learning while I'm here, even if all I can write is Hello, my name is __.

So far, I'm enjoying this immersion and I hope to learn a lot about a culture outside of stereotypes and what the media chooses to cover about this culture. I want to get that first-hand experience and make my own judgment. Unfortunately I'm yet to get to Doha as I'm waiting on a later flight from Abu Dhabi. I still have to wait for about an hour and I'm praying fatigue doesn't get the best of me. I will inform you all on my first impressions of Doha soon. Until then, take care and be blessed!

P.S. If anyone knows how to insert pictures and videos in this kind of blog, please let me know! Thanks in advance.

Oh the Places You'll Go!

For some reason the book by Dr. Seuss, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" is on my mind today. I remember this book when I was graduating from college and the pastor at my church read it out loud to all the graduates. It instilled in us a hope that our journey in life was just beginning.

“You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!” 
― Dr. Seuss, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

 I'm traveling to Qatar today and my day has already been a bit hectic. I have to journey from South Carolina where my parents and siblings live to Maryland to get to the Dulles Airport. Right now I'm waiting for my flight to Maryland and I'm trying to pass the time by crocheting and saying prayers in the hope that the rest of my journey will be smoooooth sailing.

I still can't believe that I'm traveling to Qatar. Doha, Qatar to be exact. It seems so random to me but I'm convinced that God planned this trip way before time and it is just unfolding now. But still...Qatar?! When I think about this trip I'm about to embark upon, my mind goes to the story in the Bible concerning Abraham. In Genesis 12:1, God said to Abraham, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." And guess what? Abraham, illustrating great faith, just left his land and trusted God. That's amazing!

As for me, I won't lie. I had my moments of panic. I questioned God's direction. I was like, "God really? Doha? You sure?" This trip came very suddenly and before I knew it, I was packing all my things out of my auntie and uncle's house in MD the day after I graduated from business school and getting ready for a trip that I believe will undeniably change my life. Despite my whining and complaining, I had to realize that I had to trust God in this and that He is indeed working all things out for my good (Romans 8:28).

So yes, I'm excited for Qatar now! I'm excited for any opportunities that may come my way! I'm excited for whatever God has in store for me! I'm excited to see more of my great, big, African family! So in this excitement, I decided to do a little research of the place to which I'm going. I learned that Qatar is an Arab country located in Western Asia. Its official language is Arabic. It is the world's richest country per capita and has the highest human development in the Arab world. Its culture is influenced by Islam. Its climate is warm and as warm as it is (75 degrees F), I can't wear tank tops. There is so much more information to consider but I'll stop here.

I know that the culture is different than what I'm used to but I'm up for any challenge. I've always had a desire to travel to many countries and immerse myself in as many cultures as possible. I love how God made us all unique and different. I believe it's our differences that actually make us connect. It's all about appreciating the different perspectives and having an open mind. I can't wait to see how the people are like in Qatar and how their culture differs from mine.

I'll definitely keep you all in touch with the rest of my travel and my first impression of Doha, Qatar. I should be arriving there tomorrow evening.