I have faithfully neglected my blog since the beginning of September as the end of 2012 was a complete and utter whirlwind. Therefore, here is my year in review and all the happenings of the end of 2012...
September:
I started my third year at ASD and I also started taking on-line classes. This has proven to take up a great deal of my time and is my second job. Nevertheless, slowly, but surely I will finish. As always, Doha welcomed us back to school with excruciating hot temperatures and extremely high humidity.
The Spanish teachers of ASD.
Dusty, hot Doha...
The view from my apartment continues to change...
Humidity, September, 2012.
A beautiful desert sunset.
October:
At the end of September, I traveled back to Michigan for my cousin Maggie's wedding. I was so thankful that it was able to work and I was able to take advantage of seeing so many people from my family. It was my first time seeing a Michigan fall in three years and it was absolutely amazing and beautiful. It was so fun to get some long runs in in the crisp, fresh air.
Beautiful tree in Romeo, MI.
Mom's flowers.
Sunrise at home in Fremont, MI.
Out for a run.
ArtPrize 2012 with my mom in Grand Rapids, MI.
Hi Mary!
I spy with my little eye...
Drinking horchata...
On our way in the limo...
Pretty ladies...
Maggie and I!
Three lovely ladies from the East Coast: Erin, Aunt Linda, and Kim.
My mama and me.
My brothers and I.
ASD welcomed me back with the start of Well Being Awareness Week 2012. This is always a fun week for the kids to be able to try some new activities in order to promote physical and mental well being.
Yoga session.
Pato, pato, ganso...
A little cat and mouse.
October also brought with it the opportunity for me to participate in my first aquathon. It had been on my bucket list for quite some time to finally compete in an event like this. Hopefully, this means opening the doors to a future triathlon...
Game time. It was a 500 meter swim and a 5K run. We finished our run in over 100 degree heat.
My friend Ryan has worked very hard at getting a regular live music venue in Doha. It was a great pleasure and really quite fun to be able to support him and other musicians as he was able to kick off a series of live concerts.
I also went to Sri Lanka at the end of October. I had always hear people say such amazing things about it and so it was high time I found out for myself. I had an amazing trip and certainly hope to go back. I was able to hang out and travel with some lovely people from school, but also get out and do some exploring on my own.
On the beach and happy to be there!
Paradise...Unawatuna, Sri Lanka.
Great food and drink with good friends, Kari and Stephan.
Buddies from school, Greta, Nolan, and Sean.
Exploring at Galle Fort.
I spy with my little eye a black cat...
Love watching the waves crash.
More Galle Fort.
Fishing boats.
The beach at Hikkaduwa.
Loving the life in Sri Lanka...
Tuk-tuk ride in Sri Lanka.
Down pour in Galle.
Meanwhile back in Doha...
The Mitten State is spotted!
Clouds in Doha usually mean cool weather...
November:
Somewhere along the way, I finished my first class and started my second class...
November had two wonderful things that happened: Thanksgiving and Marina came to Doha.
The holidays can be difficult when living overseas and one is far from his/her family. Nevertheless, I have been fortunate to have a wonderful Doha "family." The Lorias invited me and few other close friends to join their family for Thanksgiving. It was certainly one for the books and one night that will live in my memory forever. We had a such a good time chatting, eating, sharing, laughing, dancing, and singing.
Izzy and Aaron...too cute!
Stephan and Kari.
Becka and I.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Becka and Nash.
Aaron, Mike, and Shane.
Syd and I.
Who is that dude in the background?
Jen and Nash.
Another wonderful thing to happen in November was the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. Why, you might ask? This conference brought my dear friend Marina to Doha. I had the pleasure of living with Marina for two weeks as she was here working. Her father was also able to make a stop on his way to Bahrain.
Marina at her work station.
Marina and her dad.
So grateful to have this lady in my life!
The future we want...
December
Marina was still here for a bit in December and we were able to do some exploring and shopping around Doha. She really enjoyed the souq and we had a great time shopping for scarves!
My dear friend Marina and I at the Museum of Islamic Art.
A beautiful day on the Corniche.
At the museum.
Sunset in Doha.
More at the museum.
One of my favorite places in Doha.
December brought with it another first for me. I was able to fun my first half marathon in Dubai. I have run three full marathons and it was time to experience the half. I really enjoyed this distance and hope to do a few more in the future...
With Courtney and Kari after the race.
A sunny, humid day in Dubai.
After returning from Dubai, ASD welcomed us with one of my favorite events of the year: ASD International Week. Even though this is my third year at ASD, this week and the diversity of our school never cease to amaze me. This year, we had 75 different flags from around the world represented at the opening ceremony.
This year the theme was "Sing," which was based from a song by Gary Barlow. It was awesome to here out entire school sing it. It is one powerful song!
International Week 2012.
Ready for the opening ceremony.
Half of the flags...
The other half of the flags...
Positive, Active, Global, Citizen on the jumbotron!
The International Buffet is always a big hit!
A traditional Qatari dance at the closing ceremony.
I turned 29 this December. This also happened to coincide with the end of my second graduate class. Therefore, I celebrated with a quiet evening at home with a nice glass of vino, a delicious cupcake, a movie, and some candles...
Cheers!
Another fantastic event in Doha in the month of December was RAIN! We had an entire day where it rained, rained, and rained some more. It was a first for me in the desert! We have yet to have anymore rain since then, so I guess we will take what we can get...
Rain, rain...don't go away...
December 18 is Qatar National Day and I have never been here to experience it as we have always started our winter break before that time. This year was a bit different and I really enjoyed the experience of being able to watch the absolutely AMAZING display of fireworks along the Corniche! I had never seen anything like it before!
Moving onto 2013...
This may be the last post again for quite some time...
Moving away from Michigan certainly has made me come to appreciate it more and everything it has to offer. It is one beautiful state! Despite record high temperatures and a long drought this summer, I was lucky enough to experience a few fantastic rainstorms while back home. I always forgot how much I miss the sound of rain and especially waking up to that sound. Having a completely cloudy and stormy day is such a blessing when one is used to the hot sun all the time!
I missed the thunder and lightening by just a few seconds...
Lots of rain...
As you can see, the grass was in great need of a nice long drink of water...
Summer is always full of great memories and as I try to keep up with my blog, I will attempt to share a few of those great times from this summer! Just like Grandma Betty's birthday party will remain a wonderful day, so will Uncle Kevin's rendition of "Mean as Hell" as Johnny Cash. He never cease to amaze me! It helped that we have some very talented people in our family to help him out on a variety of instruments! I am so glad that I was still up to hear this and even get a bit of it on video!
You can be the judge and compare...but choose wisely... ;)
I was so thankful to be able to be in Michigan the first weekend in August as the majority of my mom's family made the journey to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday! That's right...90 wonderful years and she has one amazing family to show for it. Betty Rickman is the mother of five children, the grandmother of 18, and the great-grandmother of 18 as well. It had been 10 years since we had all gathered together. We all had so much fun catching up and seeing how everyone's families have grown! I think most of us would agree that we should not wait another 10 years to get together again.
Betty with her three sisters!
Here's to you, Betty! We love you!
Betty with her five children.
Again, with her five children: Bill, Mary, Linda, Nancy, and Rick.
G. Betty and me!
Betty with almost all of her granddaughters!
Singing "Happy Birthday" to the special lady!
This was one moment I am glad that I was able to capture in a video!
The day after the birthday party, we had a big family gahtering and barbecue at my Aunt Nancy's house in Romeo, MI.
Betty with her three daughters!
The Rickman family!
Enjoying the afternoon with my mom, Grandma Betty, and Aunt Linda!
It was great to be able to catch up with my cousin Erin!
Grandma and I at dinner earlier in the summer.
Her actual birthday was on August 14! Happy Birthday Betty!
One of the places that I was really happy to visit in Scotland and found very interesting was Culloden Battlefield...
The Battle of Culloden was the final confrontation of the 1745 Jacobite Rising. On 16 April, 1746, the Jacobite forces of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) fought loyalist troops commanded by William Augustus, Duke of Cumberland near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The loyalist victory at Culloden decisively halted the Jacobite intent to overthrow the House of Hanover and restore the House of Stuart to the British throne.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 Jacobites were killed or wounded in the brief battle, while government losses were a mere 50 dead and 259 wounded.
The aftermath of the battle and subsequent crackdown on Jacobitism was brutal, earning Cumberland the nickname of "Butcher." Efforts were subsequently taken to further integrate the comparatively wild Highlands into the Kingdom of Great Britain; civil penalties were introduced to weaken Gaelic culture and attack the Scottish clan system.
I guess being a new teacher means that I get to make up some of my own traditions as I make my way through...
Last year, I took pictures of each of my classes and thought it was a nice way to remember my students and the school year. This year, I decided to do the same and I think it might have even been more fun as I have now been able to see some of my students grow and change for two years. Next year will certainly bring more adventures...
5th grade class.
We always have to do a silly one!
My other 5th grade class.
I spy Ms. Houston somewhere...
This certainly sums up this 3rd grade class...
So fun!
This is one of my 4th grade classes.
My other class of 4th graders.
The other class of 3rd graders.
One of the 1st grade classes.
One of my 2nd grade classes. I didn't get a picture of the other 2nd grade class.
The second class of 1st graders. It was a tiny class, but they were full of personality and enthusiasm!
The last assembly of the school year was held in the lovely theater in the high school. It was not our normal type of assembly as we were celebrating the end of the school year! If I don't say so myself, quite a lot of shenanigans were involved. Take a look and and you can be the judge...
What would be in the fun in an assembly without a little competition between the teachers and the students? I think the teachers won this race...
The students and their families are not the only ones that need to get ready to enjoy the summer holiday. Mr. Donaldson and Mrs. Lambert needed to get ready to enjoy the beach and some fun in the sun...
Of course they were not getting themselves ready. They had to have the help of a few select students from the audience...
The students only had about 30 seconds to get them ready for the summer though. What do you think of the final product? I think they turned out pretty darn well!
Have a safe and wonderful summer everyone! Another great year at ASD!
