Doha Zoo

Me, disobeying the one Cardinal Rule of all Zoos

Qatar doesn't have much to offer as far as entertainment for kids.  It is not Dubai--no fake ski hills, no shark tank waterslide, and no venetian canals.  Doha has other things to offer (or so I am told), but a plethra of activities for children is not one of them.  

However, we were able to find one thing that could fill a Saturday morning--The Zoo.  The weather has been unbearable up to this point so we have avoided this activity thus far.  But the minute there was a breeze, we took our kids and two neighbor kids to check it out.  It is a far cry from San Diego, but it does have its charms.  For instance:

1. Grass.  This is worth the trip alone.  It feels like a tropical paradise compared to what is outside the gates.  Look, when you struggle to keep your 2 by 2 foot patch of grass in your front yard alive, this much greenery seems like the Garden of Eden.  

2.  Birds.  I realized how I have never heard a bird sing since we left Nepal.  No trees=No happy chirping.  After living at our Nepali aviary, my heart missed waking to the song of birds.  It was a painful reminder of how few birds can actually endure the blasted heat of Qatar.  

3. Oryx.  The one wild animal in all of Qatar can ben seen here.  Otherwise, you don't stand a chance of seeing any wild animals in this sandpit.  It is too bad they have been hunted to almost extinction because they are beautiful animals.  

4. Relaxed Atmosphere.  The only other option to fill your weekend is to visit a mall.  The malls are crowed and loud.  This is the one place that you don't have to see stinky money everywhere.  It also takes me away from all those insane Land Cruiser drivers.  We loved the solidarity and peaceful atmosphere.  It is hard to find in these parts.    

Ever since we discovered the zoo, I have been back 3 times.  It also has a fantastic playground that rarely requires sharing.  I love not sharing.  

I am ready to camp out there for the week, or month, or at least until I can no longer sleep outside because of the heat.  The heat is going to creep up on me quickly and when it does, I will end up spending time at the stinky mall with the stinky money.  I would much rather be with the stinky animals.  

New Moon- Why Should I Care?

As a celebration of Sarita's arrival Axel and I went to see New Moon.  I was hesitant to even go, but Axel insisted.  Yes women, my husband dragged me to a Twilight movie.  

Let's talk about the Twilight series, shall we?  

I have read 3 of the Twilight books because I felt my church membership was in question if I didn't do so.  The first one?  Fine.  Okay.  Not so terrible I want to poke my eyes out and slightly entertaining.  But the book did leave me with tons of questions.  I read the second book thinking it would surely answer all those questions, but no dice.  By the third book I spent 3 hours skimming from cover to cover looking for those answer and still never found them.  I gave up.  

Maybe I am missing something.  Maybe I didn't read with such intensity and therefore I missed the point.  If you have the answers to these questions I beg of you to tell me.  

1.  Why is it so horrifying if Bella turns to the dark side?  Forgive me, but doesn't Edward's life seem just fine?  The guy is forever young.  He is handsome, and never has to study for an exam.  The downside is not clear to me.  What makes me want to yell, 'Bella, don't do it!'?  Is it because she will have to live forever? 'Cause that doesn't seem like the worst thing in the world. Or maybe it is, but I don't have a clear idea of why that would entirely suck.  Is it because she can't have kids? You know, the whole purpose for our existence and the end of her genetic imprint forever.  Stephanie Meyer has not fully developed this point and therefore, why do I care?

2. Is it just me or is the angst so unbearable one cannot sit comfortably during the entire film/book.   I have angst about their angst.  It doesn't stop until you finally close the book or walk out of the theater.  My problem is if I don't quite understand the basis of this angst (see Question 1), I can't look past the drama and overacting.  I am just expecting there to be a scene about Bella's internal conflict of what color of socks she should wear.  Honestly, why do I care?

3. Why does Edward and Jacob care about Bella?  I cannot be convinced that it is her gorgeous looks or dynamic personality.  She appears to be average in every way.  For two apparently 'hot' guys I don't get the appeal.  I am not convinced it is her unsatiable blood.  I mean, come on, find another O positive and move on. Plus, women, wouldn't you be a little offended if a guy only loved you for your circulatory system? What is the relationship based on anyways?  I am not sure why I care about her let alone two super fine guys.  I mean, it isn't like she fought off Voldemort or something like that.  

4. Why would Meyer try to integrate a social act such as marriage into a vampire world?  Do you really think vampires care about the sacred act of marriage?  Isn't marriage of God and vampirism of the Devil?  Why mix the two?  I am either buying the real world or the vampire world, not both.  

5.  Why is the only rule with the vampires that they can't show themselves?  Edward wanted to commit suicide by showing his diamond glowing skin off to a crowd of people.  Apparently that was a sure fire way of getting the book thrown at him and getting his head ripped off.  But then five minutes later we see 25 unsuspecting American tourists being led to their deaths.  What, glowing skin will reveal to the world that vampires exist, but 25 ripped apart American tourists is going to pass by CNN at a time when the biggest story is two party crashers at a presidential party?  Hmmm.  Pass me another glass of milk.  That one is hard to swallow.

Maybe there is a clear, defined, explanation for all of these points and I just missed it because I did not read with vigor or vim.  Am I alone in thinking this is not a literary masterpiece or even fun to read?  It isn't simply because Sci Fi isn't my first choice of books, because in the past, I have been sucked into the world of Captain Kirk and Terminating Robots.  If the storyline is tight, I can be swayed.  The problem with this book is not 'Vampires' per ce, it is just there appears to be too many holes and I am bothered by the undeveloped pieces of the plot.

I know I am a living, breathing, middle aged woman and that is why I am so confused.  Shouldn't I LOVE this book?  Shouldn't I be talking about what 'team' I am rooting for?  Shouldn't I be lusting after those boys portrayed in the book?  Why do I not have passion for this book?  Where is this passion rooted in all these women?  Because I can't find it.    

So, please, for the lazy reader here, tell me why I care.  

She's Here....

Christmas came early for me. 

She is here.  She is hammered.  She is relieved, and full of stories.  

We could not be happier.  It has been a long time coming.  

The Maid Saga

Sarita with Axel's friend Brad at the KTM airport in March

At first, we thought Sarita (our Nepali maid) could join us when we moved to Qatar.  Everyone we spoke to said it was not going to be a problem.  She could arrive with a tourist visa and later be sponsored by us.  Easy.  

Wrong.  

We stayed in Nepal for an extra week in hopes that the special people in government would grant her a visa.  We realized it wasn't going to happen and we left the following day to Qatar in hopes that we could take care of her visa in Doha.  Two weeks, tops.  

Nope.  

Weeks and months passed and we were constantly told that everything could be done for Sarita after my visa was granted.  After I received my visa it was going to be so simple.  

Yeah, right.  

Three weeks ago I went through the final stages of my visa (blood samples and chest X-rays).  It was all completed and they were quickly moving on getting Sarita's paperwork done.  Surely after this, it was only a matter of days.  

Um, no.  

Nepali maids are rare here.  There are about 200K Nepali males working in Qatar, but it is unusual to meet a Nepali woman.  Chances were slim that she would have been approved, but 5 days ago we received word that her visa was ready to go.  It was just a matter of getting her here.  

Try again.  

Axel and I were so ready for her to arrive.  We had been paying her to insure her commitment to us and sending her on various errands for us. She would call frequently telling us that she was bored and couldn't wait to get here.  We bought her a ticket from Kathmandu to Doha only 5 hours on a plane and she would be here.  

Yeah, not really.  

Hours before her flight, someone called from Nepal to tell us that we needed special paperwork for her to exit the country.  Not for Doha, but for Nepal.  They advised us to go to the Nepali Embassy in Doha and fill out the paperwork.  It was going to take several more weeks at the very least.  We raced to the embassy because a long holiday was about to begin.  We had only a few hours before the Embassy was closed for over a week.

Luckily, we arrived before they closed and Axel spoke with the Secretary to the Ambassador.   Axel explained his situation and the Secretary said, 'Look, there is no way to get her out of Nepal as a single maid.  You will have to fill out a ton of paperwork, it will take a long time, and in the end, she will still not be able to leave.  Instead, have her go through India.  That is the only way to get her out.  It is fast and easy and everyone does it.'   Thank goodness.  Now all we needed to do was buy her a ticket via Delhi.  It was going to be an extensive and painful trip with long layovers but at least she could get out. 

Not this time.  

Sarita boarded a plane headed for Delhi on Friday afternoon.  She had a long layover (9 hours or so) and then it was a short flight to Doha.  Easy.  She was planned to arrive at 7am Saturday morning.  Our family was so excited.  This long, excruciating process was finally going to be over.  

Until, 3am Saturday morning when we received the call.  

Sarita presented her papers to the Indian customs and because her Qatari visa added an extra number to her recorded passport number, they denied her.  When we got the phone call from her at the airport, we both went white and felt completely sick to our stomachs.  I couldn't fly to Delhi to get Sarita because every American/Canadian needed a visa to enter India.  I couldn't book her a flight back to KTM because it was 3am and everything was closed.  She had very little money and no phone. I had never felt so hopeless in all my life.  The only option Axel and I had was to pray for her and hope that a solution would come to us--and quick.  

Axel immediately (4am) went to the Doha airport to tell them of their mistake but because it was a big Muslim holiday, there was nothing open.  We couldn't wire her money until everything opened.  So there she sat.  

After 5 hours of brainstorming and phone calls, Axel remembered he had an Indian friend who lived in Kuwait and maybe he would know someone in Delhi who could give her a place to sleep and eat.  As Axel began talking, he found out that his friend was actually in Delhi at that moment and he was more than willing to help Sarita out.  He went to the airport, found Sarita, and took her to his beautiful home and introduced her to his family and his Nepali maid.  After we heard that, Axel and I could sleep and eat again.  Until that point, we were both in shock.    

Tomorrow morning the Department of Interior is supposed to be open and we will make them aware of their ridiculous mistake.  All of this because of a typo.  It is hard not having a particular individual to blame.  Instead, we need to move on and once we get everything cleared, she will be on the next plane.  

In Sh'allah.  

T-day

It is great to have a Mormon community in every country we live.  Even if I forget that it is November (let alone Thanksgiving) I have a dinner appointment that requires me to just show up with my family and a bean casserole.  Easy peezy.  

On T-day I slaved away in the kitchen so I could have the perfect dish.  It was my first attempt, but I was determined to add enough cream, cheese, and butter to mask any imperfection.  10 minutes before we were to leave, it was done.  I put tinfoil over the pan and placed the dish on the floor because it was still burning hot as I was putting shoes on Asa.  

Do ya see where this is going????

Within 2 minutes, Xavier's wiggling and jumping landed him right on the only ticket I had to enter the party.  A few happy words were spoken and then a rational Axel smoothed out the mess, poured some cheese on the top, and tried to convince me it was adequate.  

Luckily, there were plenty of people at the dinner, and I was sneaky enough when I dropped the dish off that no one knew the heap of cheese and beans was mine.  But even if they did, it was really not so bad.  My strategy worked.  Enough butter, cream, and cheese can mask anything.  Especially on Thanksgiving.

Rain, Rain Come and Stay

I don't know why I keep ending up in the desert.  Every time I say it is my last, I am redirected to sand and heat.  Both things I. do. not. like.  I remember when I was living in Arizona for graduate school.  I was thirsting so badly for some sign of rain.  Water is life, and at that time, I felt dead.  It could have also been the combo of two full-time jobs, night classes, and pregnancy.   But still.  

At that time, I was so desperate I checked out a rainforest CD just so I could hear the tinkle of rain in my home.  It was shocking how that sound lifted my spirits and made me feel like life was still worth living.  There is something psychologically damaging when you live in a place that--if not for manmade machines and iceboxes--would cause you to shrivel up and drift away.  

And yet, here I am.  

BUT, a miracle occurred a couple of days ago.  I was in my kitchen and the sky became dark. Half the neighborhood came outside to witness the phenomenon.  It was shocking.  Emotions were high.  The anticipation was almost too much to bear.  Within 40 minutes we had a 5 minute spit from the sky.  There was running and screaming from all the kids on the streets, and by the time they ran from one side of the street to the other, it was over.  It was still the best 5 minutes of the day. 

Now, on to blaring A/Cs and sunglasses...

Ugh.

My Favorite Corner

So far, this place makes me happy.

More to come...