A is for Anthropomorphism? Oh, right....A is for Apple.

Well, I survived my first week of teaching Kindergarten, including parent/teacher night. My students are very young (most of them are still 4) and many of them have never been in preschool, so we are really starting from the beginning. I guess my secondary English books will remain unpacked for the time being. 

It’s starting to cool off a little bit in Doha. This means we are not hitting the 40 degree mark everyday (just 38 or 39 degrees). We are no longer reaching the “danger zone” at school so the children can have outside recess. It also means that Will and Ben are spending a bit more time outside at home. We still go to the pool everyday, but the boys can now get out on their scooters and play at the park (there are two playgrounds on our compound). 

It actually rained a couple of days ago! Well, a little bit. Nobody in Vancouver would even have noticed these rain drops, but the story was all over the news in Doha. People tweeted photos of rain from all over the city. Our neighbour who has lived here for 10 years said he has never seen rain at this time of year. The lightning, thunder and wind only lasted an hour or so and then the sky was blue again. 

spices at the souq

There are so many activities going on here. Andy has joined a touch rugby team - they are all kiwis and most of them are teachers (at other schools). There are drop in programs for all sports at the College nearby. And there is always a dinner or a party with friends. Most of the Canadians we’ve met are from Newfoundland, as their connection is with CNA-Q (College of the North Atlantic in Qatar); we have found everyone to be very friendly, like we’ve known them for years. 

For the past two Friday nights, we’ve gone to the Souq Waqif, the “standing market” near the waterfront. http://www.bbc.com/travel/feature/20110802-souq-waqif-dohas-resilient-labyrinthine-market  It’s described as a labyrinth of shops, stalls, restaurants and cafes. The site is a century old and is where locals and Bedouins bought and sold fish and livestock, but the Souq that we visit today is only five years old. It was rebuilt with cobbled streets and traditional architecture and so it has an “old” feel. The boys love looking in the shops and stalls and they seem to love the busy feel it has. We met one of Will’s classmates there last week and she spent a great deal of time teaching Will and Ben how the shisha pipe works! http://www.qatarvisitor.com/index.php?cID=412&pID=1430 

Chey teaching the boys how to smoke shisha