I started a list a couple weeks ago of things I imagined I'd really miss about Doha -- and things I was looking forward to about the US. I never finished cleaning it up, but I figure I should post it now so I can see in a few weeks how accurate it was.

Things I'll miss about Doha:

1. Getting to know awesome new CMU-Q employees every semester; this ( Read more... )

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While I was away from Qatar over the holidays, what one journalist has called a "national cultural war" broke out over an online post by a friend of mine ( Read more... )

I just discovered that the fascinating book I'm in the middle of reading, Qatar: Then and Now, is available online, so those of you who aren't here in Qatar to buy a copy can still read it! Those of you who like hearing about Qatari society or have questions about what students are like should definitely read this. (Psst, Mum, I was going to buy ( Read more... )

I was just commenting to my parents how much my work-life balance has changed in the last few years. For my first few years in Qatar, my job was boring and undemanding, and my life revolved around my friends; for a long stretch of time, in fact, the only reason I didn't quit my job was that it would mean seeing less of my friends ( Read more... )

While we're on the topic of what's culturally appropriate...

Dentsu Executive Offends and Humiliates Employee With Brothel & Onsen TripsA former executive at the American branch of a Japanese company is suing the Japanese CEO, saying he lost his job after being forced into "sexually debasing experience[s]". The nature of those experiences is ( Read more... )

I stumbled across an article suggesting that Qatar will soon promulgate a suggested dress code for expats.

It is said to include "eight crucial points." What do you suppose they are? Let's get the obvious ones out of the way: no shoulders, knees or midriffs; nothing tight-fitting or transparent. What else?

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The other day I went to a medical lab to get a blood test the rheumatologist requested. I walked into the waiting room, went up to the receptionist's window, and waited for her to look up from her computer. When she finally did, she seemed kind of annoyed, and told me to write my name on the list and go sit down. I felt annoyed in turn that she ( Read more... )