117, 118, 119, 120....

No, I'm not counting how many times a day I see camels and flying carpets, but rather those have been the temperatures here this past week....degrees, my friends.  Most of you know Byrdie here breaks a sweat at 82 degrees with a slight breeze...can you imagine? :)  Actually, I must confess, most buildings here can store meat with how well the ACs work, so I haven't melted yet...pray for the cars though...

Been doing great!  I've attended many school programs this week for Kristen as schools here get out in the next few weeks.  Their choir concert finale was fantastic!  I've loved the high school/middle school going-ons...takes me back.  Good memories :)  Mom and dad - I get it now why ya'll loved coming to our stuff so much...because it's FUN!  Spent time with so many great families that I feel like I've known for years.  Went to a youth girl's over-nighter and watched about 5 movies, painted endless fingers and toes, 'slept' on a tile floor, and loved every minute.  "Hey 1998, Amy's coming back at ya!"....listened to great country music on the car radio (what the??)...ate home-made chicken fried steak...I mean it's summertime in Doha too!  Just wish I could wear shorts :/

Hope everyone is doing well :)  Summer seems to be here and what that means for you, I hope is good.  

Sending my love...

Two Advantages....

In the Summer time in Doha these two advantages are a plus!

1.  ALWAYS hot showers...even when the knob is turned all the way on cold...ahhhh :)

2.  ALWAYS hot coffee...you can leave it sitting in your car for an hour, return, and tastes fresh form the pot.  And yes girls, they have Coffeemate and Splenda!

Linda and Kristen in another area of Doha that is lined with taylors, fabric stores, and corner mosques...more laid back and more culturally diverse. 
Downtown Doha and Amy....compadres.  

Scenery, Sights, and Sunsets

These are pictures from a dinner cruise I recently took for a good-bye party for some couples leaving Doha.  Good-bye parties are about every night here lately.  A lot of families are leaving as projects around the region are wrapping up.  Most families are here between 2-10 years if they are in oil and gas.  It was still pretty humid and warm even after sunset.  We ate arabic food, sat on pillows, and enjoyed the sea breeze....great time!

Ode to Doha

(Every 2 lines rhyme)

Thobes and abbayas...dust and dirt....malls with men and women...

Chips and salsa...Starbucks...water with lime instead of lemon...

A place of such mystery...and place of such controversy

A place as sour as a pickle...and as sweet as a kiss from Hershey

The people create an oasis in this desert that is dry and hot

Thankfully fun, friendships, and life is what you get and loneliness and boredom you do not!

The word "Doha" has a thousand different meanings to a thousand different folks.

Thankfully I like living here and that ain't a joke.

"Why did you come here in the summer?" I am often inquired.

"It is so hot and no one is here" and I reply "I  guess that is how the Father has me wired"

Sure down time will come and the pace of life will become slower.

Bring on the books, movies, and the AC a bit lower.

Who knew the Middle East would be home to this Dallasite/country-lovin girl?

Praise God life this side of Heaven can be such a crazy/beautiful whirl! :)

*Pictures next time

 

And I thought Dallas had malls...

Well as you can see Mary Tyler Moore was visiting Doha today!
Yeah that sky is fake...

Father holding the hand of his daughter :)  I snuck this picture...
Snuck this picture too...

Good grief!  There are pretty sweet malls here for a city the size of Doha.  This one is called the Villagio and replicates Venice, Italy.  Hello Las Vegas!  They have a moat and everything that you can take rides down the mall.  This world is becoming smaller and smaller!  My beloved H&M is here (be thankful you weren't there boyfriend :)).  I love the contrast of the Abbaya-wearing women to the modern, west surroundings....crazy/beautiful, huh?  Also, the smell of incense if everywhere (even in the fitting rooms in H&M)...if I could bottle the Middle East and send it home for you to smell...I would.

Feng-shui...

Feng Shui: an ancient art and science developed over 3,000 years ago in China. It is a complex body of knowledge that reveals how to balance the energies of any given space to assure the health and good fortune for people inhabiting it. 

Ok, I may be crazy, but any of you who know me real well know that Byrdie likes ambiance and warm/home-y spaces.  AKA: feng-shui in Amy's mind.  The idea that your surroundings effect your mood and mind.  Before I came to Doha, one silly thing I asked the Lord was if He would provide me with at least one space that I could let my hair down, relax, and feel at peace.  Cannot tell you how the Lord loves to bless His children even when we think it's 'silly.' "What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”  Yes, this verse can apply far deeper, but it applies here to the little things too :)  The home where I am staying at is a 'home' in every sense of the the word.  Tonight for example, I walk in the door and instantly it smells like dinner is on the stove, lamps are on, candles are lit, and kids and dad are watching American Idol.  My friend Emily and I help Linda with dinner and talk about life.  I don't care how good Mexican food is, there is just nothing that tastes better than a home cooked meal eaten around a table with an amazing family.  So Woodwick Candles, I hope I can being as much fragrance and warmth to the souls of people here the same way you have to mine!

Weekends feel like weekends anywhere, amen?  Doesn't matter if it's on a Friday-Saturday or half-way across the world...rest and fun are in the air.  

Went to a dinner/theater venue, hung out by a pool and played dominoes, ran around town and bought fabric to have some clothes made (they can make IDENTICAL stuff as Anthropologie (Charissa, you would die!), Banana Republic, and anything else you ask them), ate great food...ahhhh...happy as a bee on the trash at a ballpark.  Here are just a few more pictures from around Doha.

  

Livin' Over the Rainbow...

Out to lunch at the golf course with some A+ women.  Can I do this everyday? :)

At Education City's Rec Center (Education City is made up of Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, and Northwestern University)

Shout out to my used-to-be wheels...

Shout out to Glenn, Jason, Kevin, and Nathan!  I can totally do the next safety training meeting if I need to...

 This is the American School of Doha.  It's called American because they have the AP system.  It's such a neat place!  There is a lower elementary part, an upper elementary (where this outside hall of "world peace doves" leads to, and then that leads to the high school and middle school across the track and field (real grass and everything!)  That's my friend, Tacha!  Isn't she a cutie?  This school reminded me of the southern California high schools you see in the movies...outside hallways, Mac computers in the labs, trendy dressed teens, and projects made out of toothpicks and styrofoam set up under the art-project clad walls.  These kids blew me away with their life and experiences they each had.  Dad-gum...


Hard to tell in this picture, but it got a tad bit sandy and windy yesterday.  So it does 'storm' here...it just rains sand.