A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of venturing out into the desert with some colleagues from work. It was a great way to hang out with people that I normally wouldn't hang out with and we had so much fun. Three cars picked us up from Doha and we were off for some dune bashing. I think that I forget what a thrill seeker I can be from time to time, but as were were flying over the dunes at astonishing speeds I was laughing and having the time of my life. Our final destination was a lovely Bedouin style camp by the sea. We could not have asked for better weather and the change of atmosphere from the city was fantastic. Living in a big city, we normally can't see the stars very well, so the desert is a welcome place for a star searching soul. I even got to finally ride a camel for the first time! I mean a girl who lives in the desert has got to ride a camel at least once in her life! They also made us a marvelous campfire and it was so much fun to sit by the fire and listen to stories, jokes, and sing songs. It felt like a mini-vacation and was much needed.
Getting ready to ride the dunes. Letting air out of the tires is a must!
Ryan and Shery: two fantastic people!
It's Katie in the desert...
Doing tricks on the dunes...
The first video I took on our dune bashing adventure.
Fishing and enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the Inland Sea near the Saudi border.
Shery and Katie are happy to be in the desert. They are jumping for joy! ;)
Desert tracks...
Inside the Bedouin tent.
A view of the camp from our tent.
Two of the Bedouin tents at the camp.
Camels!
Nearing sunset in the desert.
Some more of the camp. This was NOT roughing it by any stretch of the imagination.
More camels. They are a couple.
There I go on my first camel ride!
It was short, but well worth it!
Campfire time...
Singing along with Ryan.
Good morning!
The camels on their early morning stroll.
All the amazing campers and our stellar dune bashing drivers.
Some of my new best friends who said they would teach the art of dune bashing...
Back in the car headed for Doha, but not without some screams and thrills along the way...
All of this was before 8 AM on a Saturday. What fun!
As you can see, we all came out of the desert just fine with smiles on our faces! :)
"Spoken Word Poet = poetry written to be heard before it is read."
--Taylor Mali
Slam Poet Talyor Mail visited ASD this week and it was so neat and fascinating to be able to listen to him speak!
"Mali is a vocal advocate of teachers and the nobility of teaching, having himself spent nine years in the classroom teaching everything from English and history to math and S.A.T. test preparation. He has performed and lectured for teachers all over the world, and his New Teacher Project has a goal of creating 1,000 new teachers through 'poetry, persuasion, and perseverance.' Mali has also won the National Poetry Slam championship four times. He is the author of two books of poetry, The Last Time As We Are (Write Bloody Books 2009) and What Learning Leaves (Hanover 2002), and four CDs of spoken word." (All this taken from http://www.taylormali.com/)
I actually purchased both of his books of poetry and they are both now signed by the poet himself! His new book, What Teachers Make comes out on March 29, 2012.
It is really neat to be able to work at a school that is able to bring such people for our teachers, students, and parents to see.
Taylor Mali speaking with the first and second graders.
Mali reciting "Falling in love is like owning a dog" with the first and second graders.
Reciting a few bits and pieces of Dr. Seuss.
Having some fun with first and second graders.
Mali speaking with the third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Mali reciting "Falling in love is like owning a dog" with the third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Reciting "On girls lending pens" to the third, fourth, and fifth graders.
Reciting "When Does the Heart Rest" with the third, fourth, and fifth graders. What fun!
Taylor Mali did a special hour of poetry just with the teachers at ASD. This is him reciting his famous poem "What teachers make, or You can always go to law school if things don't work out."
"For every teacher who has ever made a difference."
This winter in the desert has been much cooler than last year. We have also experienced a higher volume of sandstorms. I just don't remember this happening last year. Why? My guess is that we have also not had as much rain as last year. I think this makes it easier for the dust to be kicked up and fly through the air. This past week was the worst one yet. On Sunday, I woke up early as usual to go for my morning run and decided to march right back up to my apartment after seeing the trees whipping around in the wind and the dust blowing all over the place. One colleague of mine was brave enough to attempt to run and told me that the waves were splashing up over the wall at the Corniche. As I was having a coffee with some friends this morning, they were talking about how even the leaves on the trees could use some dusting off. Here are some pictures from my drive home from work on Sunday. The sand is very sandy these days...
Leaving work. Usually the stoplight ahead is very visible.
The sun is blocked out from the sand.
Usually I can see the buildings near my apartment from here...
On March 1, I went to Katara Cultural Village for dinner at Mamig, a very lovely Armenian restaurant. On a side note, this has spurred my current interest in traveling to Armenia! Afterwards, my friend and I did a bit of exploring to find the old cars that were on display in Katara for only a few days. They were not very shiny, but I don't think the desert dust does much to help that. Nevertheless, it was fun to see the old fashioned cars and especially the good old Detroit Ford ones!
I don't go to the Souq Waqif often, but each time I do go I always think that I must go more. I really do love the atmosphere and the people watching is quite good as well. ;) Before the Yusuf Islam concert, I went to dinner with some friends in the souq and we ended up being able to see quite an assortment of different types of entertainment. We were able to watch it all from the comfort of our own table on the restaurant balcony! I am not really sure as to why there were all these different things going on, but it was a pleasant surprise and a great way to start off our Thursday evening! We were able to see everything from mimes, to a "flower" parade, to a very limber and flexible gymnast.
