Whew! What a day!
We woke up at 8 (hooray!) and went downstairs for breakfast. Markus’s phone rang as we went into the kitchen for the cereal. It was the movers, on their way to the house. Fifteen minutes later, they were in the door, bringing in boxes and packing tape and paper and bubble wrap… Ten minutes after that, they were spread throughout the house, packing almost every room simultaneously. For those of you who know how Jennifer feels about moving day, you can guess how thrilled I was about this process; however, I have to give it to them for their professionalism and efficiency. With all the to-ing and fro-ing and on-again-off-again planning surrounding this move, the actual moving day snuck up on us. We weren’t quite ready for the packers, but they came and it all worked out fine. They will be back to finish tomorrow, so we’ll check into the hotel tomorrow afternoon. In a couple more days, we’ll be off on vacation! Yippee!
Last night, we went out to dinner at a pizza place we like in a nearby mall. After dinner, Ellie, as usual, wanted to go for a stroll. This usually involves a hunched-over Markus supporting her with both hands as she makes her little steps anywhere she finds interesting. Last night, however, they came back to the table with Markus holding Ellie by one hand only! She was soooooo proud of herself! She went walking all over the mall holding just one hand (actually, her hand was holding one of our fingers…so sweet!), taking such confident steps. The look on her face was priceless. She kept stopping to grin at everyone who passed and give them a little wave with her free hand.
Today, she was eager to practice this newfound skill. She walked and walked and walked around the club and again at home after dinner. Just before bed, Markus had her by the hand while she was walking around our room, but she let go to pick something up. She didn’t seem to notice that she didn’t have his hand when she started walking again—this time all by herself! Markus had her by the back of her onesie, and she tottered around for a few minutes all on her own! Our baby girl is starting to walk!
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Today is Jennifer's 30th birthday! Yippee!
In honor of my birthday, Ellie decided she needed to keep me occupied every single second doing EXACTLY whatever she had in mind at that second. I think she must have been concerned that I would get distressed about the 30 thing, so she left me no time to contemplate the birthday at all. She is one busy baby, and she has some big opinions to share! Blessedly, Markus came home from work and took her to the pool for a little while. I tell ya, in terms of birthday gifts, sitting in peace for twenty minutes is right up there with jewelry! Not that I'm complaining! Our girl is a doll and you can see from the photo taken this past Saturday that we have lots of good times together! She's growing and learning and refining every day, and it's truly a miracle to witness. Still, I did force a hole into her demanding schedule to bake myself a decadent chocolate cake. It is, after all, my birthday.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Yesterday morning, a good friend sent us an email giving us serious flack for not updating the blogspot...and rightfully so! We have been very very busy of late, but the thing is, they haven't really been very blog-worthy doings. Our routine is pretty fixed, as I've said in the past, and we've been keeping busy going through those motions. Ellie is always making us smile with new (and not-so-new) and wonderful things she's doing, but not everyone wants to check in on the baby all the time. So we've been remiss in the blogging arena lately. We apologize to our regulars!
We do, however, have news!
The dates are set. The bureaucracy is in full swing. Our move is afoot!
As it stands now, the movers are coming to pack the house on September 30 and October 1. They will load the truck on October 2. We will spend those nights in the Ritz again (woo-hoo!). On the 3rd, we will fly from Doha to the Seychelles for a family vacation between postings. Yippee!!! We will spend three nights on La Digue and three nights on Mahe before flying back to Doha on October 9. Then, it's back to the Ritz for two nights before we fly to Amsterdam on October 11th. The Hague, here we come!
For those of you who don't know the Seychelles, it's an island paradise made up of over 100 small islands off the eastern coast of Africa (above Madagascar). It is supposedly one of the world's most beautiful diving spots. Though diving is pretty much out with Ellie in tow, we're looking forward to some good snorkeling! La Digue is still home to indigenous giant tortoises, which we expect Miss Ellie will love! The beaches are paradise from what we hear! But, you think to yourself, you guys aren't really beach holiday people, so why are you going? Well, consider the location. This is probably the closest we will ever be to the Seychelles, and it's an excellent opportunity to see paradise for a few days! Can't possibly complain about that, although to escape our desert life we're more up for a trip to the cool mountains someplace than a tropical beach. We know it will be gorgeous, so we're excited!
In the meantime, we're trying to wrap things up here, which is no easy matter. We thought things were inefficient in New Orleans. HA! Everything takes three times as long as you expect it to here, and that's based on expectations that it will take three times longer than it should. One interesting factor is that while they are incredibly inefficient in almost every respect, they have somehow centralized all computing to the degree that you will not be cleared for departure at the airport unless all of your accounts are closed and finalized. Any open or unpaid utilities, traffic violations, what-have-you will show up on the screen when they swipe our passports, and if anything comes up, we are not free to go. Amazing. They don't make it easy to close things out, either. Markus inquired with our bank this week about closing the account (we can't even have an open bank account here when we go). We have a credit card attached to the account, though we don't use it. The bank informed Markus that we have to give 45 days notice before the account will be closed and finalized. During those 45 days, our account balance will be frozen to 170% of the credit limit of our card. The only way around that massive mess is to find someone remaining here in Qatar to go in person to the bank and sign forms to be responsible for any charges that might arise (even though the card is frozen and unavailable for use). We definitely went with Option B on this, because 1) we don't have 45 days to be money-free and 2) we are 95% certain some issue would arise on their end that would entangle our money even longer or make it impossible to retrieve once we attempt to depart. This place is crazy.
Qatari national flag hanging in City Center
It has had its upsides, though. We have made some wonderful friends here, and we will be very sad to say goodbye so soon. We will also miss the club at the Four Seasons. We've spent many a happy afternoon splashing about in the pools and frolicking in the spa there. Just today, Jennifer went for an early birthday girls' brunch at the Four Seasons...incredible array, folks! Just the dessert buffet had its own room! Only serious foodies need apply!
Finally, we have really appreciated the eye-opening cultural experience. This is our first time living in a Muslim country, albeit a fairly Westernized one. Ramadan starts in a few days (though we'll happily escape most of that...it's too hot to think about not even being able to drink water in public or in our cars). It's amazing how the differences that were once so obvious (men wearing all white, women wearing all black, the HUGE sunglasses, everyone and their brother driving Land Cruisers...and more serious things like the regular calls to prayer broadcast all over the city, in the malls, on the radio...) have faded into normalcy over the months. It would be nice if Ellie were old enough to remember any of this, but we're ready to make some new memories in Holland!
Soon, we will start the settling in process all over again, but don't worry...we're definitely planning to look for a home with plenty of guest room and we expect visitors!
crosswalk sign
We do, however, have news!
The dates are set. The bureaucracy is in full swing. Our move is afoot!
As it stands now, the movers are coming to pack the house on September 30 and October 1. They will load the truck on October 2. We will spend those nights in the Ritz again (woo-hoo!). On the 3rd, we will fly from Doha to the Seychelles for a family vacation between postings. Yippee!!! We will spend three nights on La Digue and three nights on Mahe before flying back to Doha on October 9. Then, it's back to the Ritz for two nights before we fly to Amsterdam on October 11th. The Hague, here we come!
For those of you who don't know the Seychelles, it's an island paradise made up of over 100 small islands off the eastern coast of Africa (above Madagascar). It is supposedly one of the world's most beautiful diving spots. Though diving is pretty much out with Ellie in tow, we're looking forward to some good snorkeling! La Digue is still home to indigenous giant tortoises, which we expect Miss Ellie will love! The beaches are paradise from what we hear! But, you think to yourself, you guys aren't really beach holiday people, so why are you going? Well, consider the location. This is probably the closest we will ever be to the Seychelles, and it's an excellent opportunity to see paradise for a few days! Can't possibly complain about that, although to escape our desert life we're more up for a trip to the cool mountains someplace than a tropical beach. We know it will be gorgeous, so we're excited!
In the meantime, we're trying to wrap things up here, which is no easy matter. We thought things were inefficient in New Orleans. HA! Everything takes three times as long as you expect it to here, and that's based on expectations that it will take three times longer than it should. One interesting factor is that while they are incredibly inefficient in almost every respect, they have somehow centralized all computing to the degree that you will not be cleared for departure at the airport unless all of your accounts are closed and finalized. Any open or unpaid utilities, traffic violations, what-have-you will show up on the screen when they swipe our passports, and if anything comes up, we are not free to go. Amazing. They don't make it easy to close things out, either. Markus inquired with our bank this week about closing the account (we can't even have an open bank account here when we go). We have a credit card attached to the account, though we don't use it. The bank informed Markus that we have to give 45 days notice before the account will be closed and finalized. During those 45 days, our account balance will be frozen to 170% of the credit limit of our card. The only way around that massive mess is to find someone remaining here in Qatar to go in person to the bank and sign forms to be responsible for any charges that might arise (even though the card is frozen and unavailable for use). We definitely went with Option B on this, because 1) we don't have 45 days to be money-free and 2) we are 95% certain some issue would arise on their end that would entangle our money even longer or make it impossible to retrieve once we attempt to depart. This place is crazy.
Qatari national flag hanging in City Center
It has had its upsides, though. We have made some wonderful friends here, and we will be very sad to say goodbye so soon. We will also miss the club at the Four Seasons. We've spent many a happy afternoon splashing about in the pools and frolicking in the spa there. Just today, Jennifer went for an early birthday girls' brunch at the Four Seasons...incredible array, folks! Just the dessert buffet had its own room! Only serious foodies need apply!
Finally, we have really appreciated the eye-opening cultural experience. This is our first time living in a Muslim country, albeit a fairly Westernized one. Ramadan starts in a few days (though we'll happily escape most of that...it's too hot to think about not even being able to drink water in public or in our cars). It's amazing how the differences that were once so obvious (men wearing all white, women wearing all black, the HUGE sunglasses, everyone and their brother driving Land Cruisers...and more serious things like the regular calls to prayer broadcast all over the city, in the malls, on the radio...) have faded into normalcy over the months. It would be nice if Ellie were old enough to remember any of this, but we're ready to make some new memories in Holland!
Soon, we will start the settling in process all over again, but don't worry...we're definitely planning to look for a home with plenty of guest room and we expect visitors!
crosswalk sign
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Now that we've got the blog working again, it's time for the scoop on Dubai!
It was sooooo wonderful to get out of Dohot for a few days, even though it was just as hot in Dubai. At least there were new things to see, new places to go...
Dubai is a shopping mecca, and malls abound. The malls have different personalities too. Ibn Battuta has five "neighborhoods", each with a different country in mind. There's a Chinese section, Indian, Egyptian...
The Souq Medinat Jumeira has more crafts and imports, furniture and clothing from throughout the region. It is brand new, but designed to look like the old souqs. It's also located next to Dubai's most famous landmark, the Burj Al Arab.
Burj Al Arab, the world's only seven star hotel
Dubai, UAE
Finally, there's the Mall of the Emirates, most known for its indoor ski arena, Ski Dubai. I had most been looking forward to taking Ellie to play in the snow in the desert, but unfortunately, they had a strict no-under-3s policy. We got to look through the window, but that was about it. Ironically, when we stepped out of the elevator at the Mall of the Emirates, they were blasting the theme to Mission Impossible.
outside Ski Dubai (the top of the slope)
Finally, a word on our hotel. No, we didn't stay in the Burj Al Arab. I think you need to be a millionaire to stay there comfortably. Rumors have it that the nightly rate can be in the thousands. No, we're not quite there yet. Instead, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in town, which was a mere five stars (the compromises one has to make!). It was a gorgeous hotel. The interior had a huge garden area with a running brook stocked with fish... Outside, there were three beautiful pools: a massive one for adults, a smaller one for children that had waterslides and fountains in a climbing fort, and a little one for babies. There were huge grounds with lots of grassy playspace and an outdoor jogging trail. The breakfast spread was the best we've ever seen in a hotel, and it was included with the room. We can most definitely recommend staying there!
Of course, we begin to wonder how we will ever keep Ellie in the style to which she's become accustomed. At five months, she lived in the Ritz Carlton for six weeks. She plays in the pool at the Four Seasons. And when we holiday, she stays at five star hotels. I think we're in trouble.
It was sooooo wonderful to get out of Dohot for a few days, even though it was just as hot in Dubai. At least there were new things to see, new places to go...
Dubai is a shopping mecca, and malls abound. The malls have different personalities too. Ibn Battuta has five "neighborhoods", each with a different country in mind. There's a Chinese section, Indian, Egyptian...
The Souq Medinat Jumeira has more crafts and imports, furniture and clothing from throughout the region. It is brand new, but designed to look like the old souqs. It's also located next to Dubai's most famous landmark, the Burj Al Arab.
Burj Al Arab, the world's only seven star hotel
Dubai, UAE
Finally, there's the Mall of the Emirates, most known for its indoor ski arena, Ski Dubai. I had most been looking forward to taking Ellie to play in the snow in the desert, but unfortunately, they had a strict no-under-3s policy. We got to look through the window, but that was about it. Ironically, when we stepped out of the elevator at the Mall of the Emirates, they were blasting the theme to Mission Impossible.
outside Ski Dubai (the top of the slope)
Finally, a word on our hotel. No, we didn't stay in the Burj Al Arab. I think you need to be a millionaire to stay there comfortably. Rumors have it that the nightly rate can be in the thousands. No, we're not quite there yet. Instead, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt in town, which was a mere five stars (the compromises one has to make!). It was a gorgeous hotel. The interior had a huge garden area with a running brook stocked with fish... Outside, there were three beautiful pools: a massive one for adults, a smaller one for children that had waterslides and fountains in a climbing fort, and a little one for babies. There were huge grounds with lots of grassy playspace and an outdoor jogging trail. The breakfast spread was the best we've ever seen in a hotel, and it was included with the room. We can most definitely recommend staying there!
Of course, we begin to wonder how we will ever keep Ellie in the style to which she's become accustomed. At five months, she lived in the Ritz Carlton for six weeks. She plays in the pool at the Four Seasons. And when we holiday, she stays at five star hotels. I think we're in trouble.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Our baby is growing up! Ellie celebrated her first birthday yesterday, and what a fun day she had! In the morning, we celebrated with her friends at our standing Thursday morning Dairy Queen play group. Pancakes, cupcakes in ice cream cones...yummy! Then, we met Papa for lunch at City Center, and he bought her a Minnie Mouse balloon (balloons are her favorite!). After her nap, we had a special playdate with her new friend Cy and met his pet camels (though we don't have pictures of her with them...they made her a bit nervous)!
We can hardly believe her first year has gone by. She is growing and changing so much every day. What a miracle and a treasure that we are blessed to witness daily. Happy Birthday, Ellie! We love you so much!
We can hardly believe her first year has gone by. She is growing and changing so much every day. What a miracle and a treasure that we are blessed to witness daily. Happy Birthday, Ellie! We love you so much!
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Although she's been walking with help for about five months, Ellie has seemed to lack the confidence to have a go on her own...until recently. For the past week or two, she has been standing free and doesn't seem so nervous about sitting back down again. She's been quite a cruiser around furniture too. But the other day, we had another big first...Ellie strolled the entire length of the mall while holding onto her stroller. She was soooo proud to do it all on her own!
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
To kick off our new year, we are going to Dubai this weekend...our first vacation in ages! Off we go to the land of opulence and riches, the land of shopping shopping and more shopping! Of course, we're just going for the sights and the chance to escape Dohot for a few days. Trading heat and humidity for heat and more humidity, but at least there will be new things to see and different places to go. I'm looking forward to seeing Burj Al Arab (the famous sail-shaped hotel), the massive gold souq, and of course, the indoor skiing arena. The fact that they have built an indoor skiing facility in the desert defies the imagination. Friends have told us that you can go in to a small area for 10 riyals just to play in the snow and throw snowballs. I wonder what Ellie will make of snow! Pictures and stories to follow!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
August 29, 2005. One year ago today was Hurricane Katrina. One year ago, we were waiting it out in a hotel room in Houston, watching the news and feeling fairly certain that we’d be able to head home in the morning. The storm came and went, and all seemed relatively well. But then the water began to creep through New Orleans. By the following morning, our worst nightmares had just begun. The horrific images on the news only told a small part of the story. The tremendous failures from the local, state and federal government left people dying in their homes and in the streets; those who survived were lacking in any food, water or medical care. Most of the city was submerged. Though we soon realized our part of town had escaped the flood, we were unable to return for six weeks, not even to check what and if we had anything left.
Meanwhile, over on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, things were far worse. The New Orleans flood and the city’s racial, socio-economic and political tensions made the news, but Katrina wrought some of the most unspeakable damage on the coast. Gorgeous historic homes all along the beach were wiped away in an instant. In Biloxi, the devastation went back at least five blocks back from the beach. Further west (closer to the eye of Katrina), the damage went back for miles. The town of Pass Christian was completely gone, not a single structure left standing. To the east in Ocean Springs, where my dad lived, the news trucks never came…but the storm certainly did.
One year later, she’s still there. Katrina is present every day on the Gulf Coast, in New Orleans and throughout South Louisiana. The people who survived her all have stories to tell. We are no different, but those who know us have heard it too many times and so have we.
It’s been quite a year, but this is our New Year’s Day. The world is made new again.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
There hasn’t been much news on this end of late, and the blog and emails are getting weak. I apologize. For those of you who really want to know about our days, you are being seriously short-changed, and that’s not good. I’m going to try to make amends here.
Miss Ellie Bee keeps us happy and fulfilled. She is quite a busy girl and sooo happy! She’s such a joy! Whenever she’s with one of us and she catches sight of the other, she breaks out laughing and flapping her little arms…or if she’s trying to walk, she comes running! She still isn’t walking on her own, but she can and will pull up at every opportunity. She is also starting to “cruise.” Last night, we watched her delighted progress as she made her way down the length of the coffee table. Then, she got stuck at the end and didn’t know what to do…which led to great baby frustration. Oooo…she does NOT like being stuck. Being stuck also happens in her crib. Ellie has taken to sleeping on her belly. From this position, it’s easy to push up to sitting and then pull up to standing…at which point she gets stuck and becomes excessively indignant about the whole situation. Partly because of this, she is not yet sleeping through the night. Jennifer is still pulling all nighttime duty, largely because Ellie hasn’t weaned yet but also secretly because Ellie has her papa completely wrapped around her baby fingers. After only a few minutes of her crying, he can’t take it and he surrenders, usually bringing her to Mama or insisting Mama go in to her. Many men can’t take the crying because it makes them irritated or mad. Markus can’t take it because it breaks his heart. Oh yes, she has him whipped!
Our routine has become just that. During the week, Markus heads out by 5:30 or so, squeezing in a brief swim or some other exercise at the club before he heads to the mines. After having awoken three or four times during the night (only twice on good days!), Ellie wants to get up at around 6:30 or 7. A bleary-eyed Jennifer begs her to go back to sleep, which Ellie always finds very hilarious. By 9 o’clock, the two girls are out the door in search of adventure. Our favorite hang-out is the Landmark Mall, where there is a large, well-lit, relatively clean soft play area Ellie loves. Fortunately for us, she’s still so small that they don’t charge us admission yet (all kiddie play areas have fees), so we find ourselves there multiple times each week. Jennifer has taken to consuming more coffee than she has ever consumed in her entire life. This could have something to do with the fact that even in college, she usually got more than four consecutive hours of sleep at night.
We always try to be back home for naptime. Ellie’s favorite new game is testing how short an afternoon nap can possibly be. This is proving to be an exciting new challenge for her mama as well.
In the afternoons, we try to meet Markus at the club at least two or three times a week. Ellie really likes splashing about in the pool, especially when we’re all there as a family. She has quite a fan club at the Four Seasons. One pool attendant in particular—Jamal—has a big crush on her. He always comes running over when he sees her, and he plays with her as often as he can while we’re there.
Ellie’s fan club is both a blessing and a curse for her. People here are incredibly loving and friendly to babies, usually to the extent that they want to hold the baby, snuggle and play. Sometimes, they don’t take no for an answer, and therein lies the trouble. Ellie is often not a big fan of being snatched away by a (smiling and cooing) complete stranger. This is something her parents have no trouble understanding, but the complete strangers can’t seem to comprehend. We ran into this very problem today at City Center. A shop girl was very insistent about taking Ellie away to another part of the store, even though Ellie was very tired and became teary at her approach. She tried repeatedly to heft Ellie from Jennifer’s arms, although Jennifer tried to kindly rebuff her. She meant well, we have no doubt, but the opposite effect was achieved.
At times like those, we try to explain to Ellie that this is just what happens when one is truly irresistible. She then looks at us as if to say, “Why do you think I employ two full-time staff?”
Miss Ellie Bee keeps us happy and fulfilled. She is quite a busy girl and sooo happy! She’s such a joy! Whenever she’s with one of us and she catches sight of the other, she breaks out laughing and flapping her little arms…or if she’s trying to walk, she comes running! She still isn’t walking on her own, but she can and will pull up at every opportunity. She is also starting to “cruise.” Last night, we watched her delighted progress as she made her way down the length of the coffee table. Then, she got stuck at the end and didn’t know what to do…which led to great baby frustration. Oooo…she does NOT like being stuck. Being stuck also happens in her crib. Ellie has taken to sleeping on her belly. From this position, it’s easy to push up to sitting and then pull up to standing…at which point she gets stuck and becomes excessively indignant about the whole situation. Partly because of this, she is not yet sleeping through the night. Jennifer is still pulling all nighttime duty, largely because Ellie hasn’t weaned yet but also secretly because Ellie has her papa completely wrapped around her baby fingers. After only a few minutes of her crying, he can’t take it and he surrenders, usually bringing her to Mama or insisting Mama go in to her. Many men can’t take the crying because it makes them irritated or mad. Markus can’t take it because it breaks his heart. Oh yes, she has him whipped!
Our routine has become just that. During the week, Markus heads out by 5:30 or so, squeezing in a brief swim or some other exercise at the club before he heads to the mines. After having awoken three or four times during the night (only twice on good days!), Ellie wants to get up at around 6:30 or 7. A bleary-eyed Jennifer begs her to go back to sleep, which Ellie always finds very hilarious. By 9 o’clock, the two girls are out the door in search of adventure. Our favorite hang-out is the Landmark Mall, where there is a large, well-lit, relatively clean soft play area Ellie loves. Fortunately for us, she’s still so small that they don’t charge us admission yet (all kiddie play areas have fees), so we find ourselves there multiple times each week. Jennifer has taken to consuming more coffee than she has ever consumed in her entire life. This could have something to do with the fact that even in college, she usually got more than four consecutive hours of sleep at night.
We always try to be back home for naptime. Ellie’s favorite new game is testing how short an afternoon nap can possibly be. This is proving to be an exciting new challenge for her mama as well.
In the afternoons, we try to meet Markus at the club at least two or three times a week. Ellie really likes splashing about in the pool, especially when we’re all there as a family. She has quite a fan club at the Four Seasons. One pool attendant in particular—Jamal—has a big crush on her. He always comes running over when he sees her, and he plays with her as often as he can while we’re there.
Ellie’s fan club is both a blessing and a curse for her. People here are incredibly loving and friendly to babies, usually to the extent that they want to hold the baby, snuggle and play. Sometimes, they don’t take no for an answer, and therein lies the trouble. Ellie is often not a big fan of being snatched away by a (smiling and cooing) complete stranger. This is something her parents have no trouble understanding, but the complete strangers can’t seem to comprehend. We ran into this very problem today at City Center. A shop girl was very insistent about taking Ellie away to another part of the store, even though Ellie was very tired and became teary at her approach. She tried repeatedly to heft Ellie from Jennifer’s arms, although Jennifer tried to kindly rebuff her. She meant well, we have no doubt, but the opposite effect was achieved.
At times like those, we try to explain to Ellie that this is just what happens when one is truly irresistible. She then looks at us as if to say, “Why do you think I employ two full-time staff?”
Our life in Dohot proceeds under strict adherence to the law: Murphy's Law, that is.
Yesterday, the company had exterminators spray our house for bugs, although I hadn't seen any aside from a few small spiders and one (already dead) small cockroach.
Today, we have ants in the kitchen.
Yep, that's about right.
Yesterday, the company had exterminators spray our house for bugs, although I hadn't seen any aside from a few small spiders and one (already dead) small cockroach.
Today, we have ants in the kitchen.
Yep, that's about right.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
As you have probably gathered, I am slightly obsessed with food. I spent most of my spare moments today cooking up a storm and then chowing it down with gusto. A little family tradition we have is dining out to kick off the weekend, so last Thursday night, we went in search of a good restaurant to try out. Being too early for most places, we ended up eating at a burger place. MISTAKE! Markus, poor man, got food poisoning and it has persisted for days. Today was the first day I've ever known him to stay home from work because of illness. He usually goes even if he's feverish and miserable, but today he stayed home. That's how sick this poor man is! Fortunately, we seem to have reached a turning point. He managed to eat the dinner I cooked tonight without any troubles, so tomorrow, it's back to the trenches.
Speaking of the trenches...
The almighty bureaucracy that is his employer has mucked with our schedule yet again. Although our leave date had already been set and confirmed by multiple managers and our arrival date agreed with The Hague, although we'd already called the movers and planned a vacation before moving to Holland, Markus's boss decided it would be fun to derail the whole train on a whim and now no date is certain. His boss wrote to The Hague on Thursday and changed the leave date to sometime in October, and so far, there's been no response from that end. Who knows what they will want to do about it. It was all set. Everyone seemed fine and dandy with the plan...too bad it was made when Markus's micro-managing, overly obsessive boss was out of town. Oy.
Speaking of the trenches...
The almighty bureaucracy that is his employer has mucked with our schedule yet again. Although our leave date had already been set and confirmed by multiple managers and our arrival date agreed with The Hague, although we'd already called the movers and planned a vacation before moving to Holland, Markus's boss decided it would be fun to derail the whole train on a whim and now no date is certain. His boss wrote to The Hague on Thursday and changed the leave date to sometime in October, and so far, there's been no response from that end. Who knows what they will want to do about it. It was all set. Everyone seemed fine and dandy with the plan...too bad it was made when Markus's micro-managing, overly obsessive boss was out of town. Oy.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Today was Saturday, which meant we were out and about in search of new adventures. This morning, we discovered Bombay Silk, a fabric supply store that we'd heard a lot about since we've been here. They have beautiful fabrics, silks, satins, velvet...raw silk, embroidered silk... I purchased three different silks to have some pants copied by a tailor. Tailors are abundant here, and there are dozens in the vicinty of Bombay Silk. A friend had recommended I take my pants to her tailor, but the man working at Bombay Silk went to get a tailor for me to be sure I bought the correct amount of fabric. Later, he took us to that tailor's shop. It was down a corridor from the tailor my friend had recommended. It was a tiny room with two very old sewing machines and two older Indian gentlemen working. The tailor looked over the pair of pants I wanted copied, kept them and the fabric, and promised they would be ready in one week. Three pairs of pants. Amazing.
If they don't mind, I will post a picture of the place when I go back to pick them up.
Afterwards, we went to eat at an Indian, vegetarian restaurant. As with any ethnic cuisine, there's good Indian and there's bad Indian. Sometimes you get lucky and find somewhere authentic and delicious. When we went in and were shown to the family section, one glance quickly revealed that we were the only non-Indians there. And yes, the food was authentic and DELICIOUS! And cheap! 30 riyals total for both of us (that's about $7). I'll definitely be going back, and hopefully I'll get some pictures then too.
If they don't mind, I will post a picture of the place when I go back to pick them up.
Afterwards, we went to eat at an Indian, vegetarian restaurant. As with any ethnic cuisine, there's good Indian and there's bad Indian. Sometimes you get lucky and find somewhere authentic and delicious. When we went in and were shown to the family section, one glance quickly revealed that we were the only non-Indians there. And yes, the food was authentic and DELICIOUS! And cheap! 30 riyals total for both of us (that's about $7). I'll definitely be going back, and hopefully I'll get some pictures then too.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Another recipe to try out...
I've made this with hammour (the popular white fish here in Qatar) and salmon. Markus, who doesn't particularly care for salmon, RAVED about this one. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
Fish with Tarragon Tomato Sauce
(from "The One-Armed Cook")
4 servings
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried chives
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb fresh fish fillets (such as cod, haddock or salmon)
In a large deep skillet with a cover, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the fish, stirring well to mix. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add fish fillets, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
I've made this with hammour (the popular white fish here in Qatar) and salmon. Markus, who doesn't particularly care for salmon, RAVED about this one. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
Fish with Tarragon Tomato Sauce
(from "The One-Armed Cook")
4 servings
1 Tbsp butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine (optional)
1 Tbsp dried parsley
1 Tbsp dried chives
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 lb fresh fish fillets (such as cod, haddock or salmon)
In a large deep skillet with a cover, melt the butter or margarine over medium heat. Saute the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the fish, stirring well to mix. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often. Add fish fillets, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes, turning halfway through the cooking time.
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Tonight, we explored a very local furniture shop called Ghassan's. We were directed there after complimenting a friend's hand-painted dining room table. She said she picked it up there, that they had wonderful things and the prices were reasonable. Let me tell you, this place was HARD to find! It is not on any main road, it looks like a run-down villa with a dilapidated tent covering the courtyard, and there is no sign indicating in any fashion that it is a shop. It only has a small name plaque like all other houses on that street. But what a find! It was amazing! Definitely the most interesting shop I have seen since we've been here! They had the most amazing variety of furnishings and decorative pieces, mostly from India. All handmade and quite decent quality. Packed to the gills with STUFF, stacked to the ceiling in every room! You definitely have to be willing to invest some time in looking at everything, but it was a real feast for the eyes! So much to see! Lots of fun! As you can tell, I'm happy we went. I'll be going back!
In typical Jennifer fashion, I have meant to put this recipe up for ages now...but today is the day! Tah-dah! I promise it was worth the wait! This salad is AWESOME! We enjoy the flavor of the shrimp so much that I keep making them this way, but then just tossing them into tacos rather than proceed with this (very time-consuming but well worth it) salad. By the way, if you decide to make them into tacos (we just use the shrimp, tomatoes, homemade guacamole, black beans and cheese in flour tortillas), the combo is really fabulous with frozen limeade pie for dessert. You know I must have dessert! The recipe follows...
Summer garden salad with chili-garlic shrimp
(recipe from Bon Appetit August 2005)
6 main course servings
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 lbs uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 ears of corn, husked
3 small tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/3 English hothouse cucumbers, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
4 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 large avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, cut into thin slices
8 cups (loosely packed) mixed baby greens
2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
Mix chili-garlic sauce, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Add half of shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shrimp to plate. Add remaining shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate and cool.
Cook corn in a pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut corn kernels off cobs. Mix corn, tomatoes, and cucumber into shrimp.
Whisk remaining 2 Tbsp oil, 1/8 tsp pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil in medium bowl.
(Shrimp mixture and dressing can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
Combine shrimp mixture with any accumulated juices, avocado, greens and mint in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat.
Frozen Limeade Pie
small can frozen limeade, defrosted (6oz?)
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz?)
graham cracker crust (store bought is fast, but homemade tastes better!)
Mix the first four ingredients (minus the cans, of course). Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 25 mintues at 350 degrees F. Cool on wire rack. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours. Cut into big ol' slices and enjoy!
I'm sure you can tell this is my own recipe. I modified it from a different pie, so the amounts aren't exact. I'm not sure of the ounce measurements on the cans since the cans here aren't labeled that way, but these are pretty standard cans. Just go with the standard size of the condensed milk and the little size of the frozen limeade and you'll be fine.
In typical Jennifer fashion, I have meant to put this recipe up for ages now...but today is the day! Tah-dah! I promise it was worth the wait! This salad is AWESOME! We enjoy the flavor of the shrimp so much that I keep making them this way, but then just tossing them into tacos rather than proceed with this (very time-consuming but well worth it) salad. By the way, if you decide to make them into tacos (we just use the shrimp, tomatoes, homemade guacamole, black beans and cheese in flour tortillas), the combo is really fabulous with frozen limeade pie for dessert. You know I must have dessert! The recipe follows...
Summer garden salad with chili-garlic shrimp
(recipe from Bon Appetit August 2005)
6 main course servings
1 tsp chili-garlic sauce
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp plus 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 lbs uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 ears of corn, husked
3 small tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/3 English hothouse cucumbers, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
4 tsp fresh lime juice
2 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 large avocado, halved, peeled, pitted, cut into thin slices
8 cups (loosely packed) mixed baby greens
2 Tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint leaves
Mix chili-garlic sauce, cumin, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a large bowl. Add shrimp and toss to coat. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in heavy large nonstick skillet over high heat until hot. Add half of shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer shrimp to plate. Add remaining shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer shrimp to plate and cool.
Cook corn in a pot of boiling salted water until almost tender, about 5 minutes. Drain and cool. Cut corn kernels off cobs. Mix corn, tomatoes, and cucumber into shrimp.
Whisk remaining 2 Tbsp oil, 1/8 tsp pepper, lime juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil in medium bowl.
(Shrimp mixture and dressing can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)
Combine shrimp mixture with any accumulated juices, avocado, greens and mint in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat.
Frozen Limeade Pie
small can frozen limeade, defrosted (6oz?)
1 whole egg
2 egg yolks
can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz?)
graham cracker crust (store bought is fast, but homemade tastes better!)
Mix the first four ingredients (minus the cans, of course). Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 25 mintues at 350 degrees F. Cool on wire rack. Place in freezer for at least 3 hours. Cut into big ol' slices and enjoy!
I'm sure you can tell this is my own recipe. I modified it from a different pie, so the amounts aren't exact. I'm not sure of the ounce measurements on the cans since the cans here aren't labeled that way, but these are pretty standard cans. Just go with the standard size of the condensed milk and the little size of the frozen limeade and you'll be fine.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
This afternoon while Ellie and I were out, we met a woman working in a stationery shop. Ellie was smiling away, and the woman was playing with her. She told me that watching Ellie made her miss her own daughter. Her daughter is back in the Philippines. She's 18 months old. The woman told me she's been working here for the past 16 months.
We meet so many people from underdeveloped countries who have left their families to come work here. So many parents who have left their children behind so they can earn better and provide more for them, even though it means being apart.
We are truly blessed and lucky.
We meet so many people from underdeveloped countries who have left their families to come work here. So many parents who have left their children behind so they can earn better and provide more for them, even though it means being apart.
We are truly blessed and lucky.
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