Do they speak American in Qatar?

Well, they came, they saw, they conquered. The family got about as much of the Qatar experience as you can in one week. It was a busy, fun, great time with some people that I love dearly. It was some of the best money I ever spent.

Saturday, Nov. 17

This was Jet Lag day. It was nice because I was able to get up and get a few things done before everyone emerged from the bedroom. It was after lunch when we got up and I decided to show the family the mall. (There is not much else to do in Qatar) So we went for some easy supplies, and they got their first taste of Arab culture. Mom didn’t believe me that the food spoils over here in just a few days. (There are no preservatives) She found out a few days later when the bread, tomatoes, etc was all bad. Anyway, we followed that up with a trip to Nando’s where we got an Espetata. This is basically a big Kebab that they bring on a big spear that hangs over your plate. Not real traditional, but fun none the less. Afterwards, we did a drive through town and headed to the Ritz for a quick tour and some tea. Soon it was back to the villa to relax and have a few drinks. I was so proud of the family, this did not help their jet lag any…but they all got up at 3:30 am to watch the game with me. Very nice.

Sunday, Nov. 18

After sleeping in a bit, I headed to work to tie up some loose ends. I came home and we hung out. We headed to Turkey Central for some traditional Arabic food for dinner. My co-worker Kevin and friend Rana joined us for the dinner. It was a nice time. Afterwards, we headed to the Souqs…which is the traditional marketplace of the old desert. This is where you barter for everything, and no price is set. It was a fun time.

Monday, Nov. 19

I headed to work for an 8:00 meeting and came home at lunch. We headed to the desert via Gulf Adventures for some kick ass dune bashing. They picked us up at 2:30 in the traditional land cruiser. Our driver was in a thobe and of course was named Mohammad. We had 2 other cars with us, one of which was Dr. K’s family and our Trauma Coordinator. We headed for the dunes. We stopped while they were letting the air out of the tires and took a short camel ride. Then we headed to the inland sea. We were able to see Saudi on the other side. Never thought my family would be within sight of Saudi Arabia. They took us to the camp where they have traditional tents set up and they provide dinner. It was a awesome night and the camp was right on the gulf. It was lit by many tiki torches and had a really nice ambiance to it. This was definitely a highlight of the trip and a recommendation to anyone that goes to a desert country.

Tuesday, Nov. 20

Since I was a nice host and let my family sleep in every day, I headed to work for the morning. This let them enjoy the pool and relax during the morning hours. I came home in the afternoon and we headed to Harley shop. Had to get some destination shirts and other items…lord knows with this traffic I am not riding anything with 2 wheels in this country. That evening we headed to the Ritz. We had a fabulous dinner at Porcini’s which is an Italian restaurant. It was a very nice highlight. Afterwards we headed to Habanos in the Ritz, which is a Cigar bar. Needless to say, Dad was in heaven. They had a Latino band playing some random music, which actually set the mood pretty nice. Hussein came and picked us up…

Wednesday, Nov. 21

I took this day off. We of course hung out in the morning and headed to Thai Chi for Lunch. It was nice to get Mom and Carrie experienced on new foods. Carrie and I went for a swim and then we headed to Majalis for dinner. This is traditional Arabic food, where you sit on the floor in a private room. We had Lamb chops, Hummus, Vegetables, Bread…so good.

Thursday, Nov. 22

I worked all day. Being a business person let me put it like this…if I accrue the equivalent of 2 hours for every 8 hour day I work, and I accrue 8 Hours for every 8 Hours I work on a holiday, it makes sense for me to take another day off during the week and then work on the holiday. I got home and the family was at the pool. Enjoying the nice weather and facilities. We all went back and got dressed, we met John and his wife, Connie and her husband and went to Garvey’s for the evening. This is the British style pub in town that is not too far from where I live. We knew the girl singing and it was a nice time. Carrie actually said it felt more like home. We had some traditional fish and chips…mmm so good.

Friday, Nov. 23

We all got up and headed out in the city. Friday is the best day to drive around and get random stuff done because everyone is at the Mosque (kinda like Sunday Morning in the states). So we went to the Cornice and around the city and saw the random landmarks, fountains, etc. Carrie got numerous random pictures, then we tried to drive into the desert so I could get here a camel crossing sign, but with all of the construction, they had the signs down or moved. We ran out of time. At 2:45, Hussein showed up and took us to Connie’s for Thanksgiving Dinner. There was about 20-25 people there with about nationalities represented, it was awesome. A really good experience for the family. We had all the traditional food with some kick ass pumpkin soup. That is a must try! Our Filipino secretaries brought over their karaoke machine and it was on from there. We sang and partied until late that night.

Saturday, Nov. 24

It was a short, sad day. Everyone was up early, packed and out the door. We had to leave at 9:00 because their flight was at 11:30. We said our goodbyes and it will be February before I see those wonderful people again. The rest of the day was doing laundry and laying on the couch. I have to stay up late tonight thanks to the time change for the game, and the next 3 days at work are going to be killer.
That was a great week, and like I said before a week full of great memories I will remember for the rest of my life. I truly have a great family and I love them all dearly. I apologize to all of my friends and others I have not responded to in the last couple of weeks via email or phone. The impending arrival, work craziness, and visitors I was not able to get back to everyone. Hopefully this week I will be in touch with a few people every night. Talk to you all soon… Let Go’s WVU…Let’s build on the present we got from Arkansas. Cheers!