It feels like it has been a while since I last posted, so there is plenty to catch up on. As you all know, this week was Thanksgiving. This is the first major holiday that I have missed (aside from JMU Homecoming of course) while being out here in Doha. As my Dad kindly pointed out, this was my first Thanksgiving not being home with my family. I definitely missed not being able to see friends and family, but more than anything I missed not going Black Friday shopping with my brother. We have made it a tradition the last few years and it was disappointing to not go out at midnight to witness the chaos of Black Friday. We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving in our own way here in Doha. My supervisor, Melissa, hosted a Thanksgiving meal on Friday and it was really nice to get together and share a meal. I made my now world famous pumpkin cheesecake and a co-worker Jimmy made one heck of a Turkey. The night ended with a little Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on the TV and my day was complete.
On the topic of giving Thanks, one of the MANY things that I am thankful for is being in Qatar. I truthfully feel that Qatar is one of the most unique places on the planet that I could be living. It is incredibly diverse, offers access to a very high quality of life, hosts many global events, is incredibly safe, and more. Having now been here for three months, people like to ask "How do you like it so far?". When I respond that I love it here and feel privileged to be able to call this home, they look at me as if I am crazy. And while I may be crazy, it never ceases to amaze me the things that people can complain about. Can traffic be bad in Doha? Yep. Is it easy to get the exact foods or products you may want? Nope. Are the policies and procedures in the country efficient? Not exactly. But in the grand scheme, all of these are such trivial issues. Anywhere you live will have its flaws and Doha is no exception. But as I reflect on my time here to this point, I can honestly say I hit the jackpot when moving out here. Hopefully my opinion doesn't change in the coming months and years but I would say we are off to a good start.
In other big news, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival took place this week. Many of you are familiar with the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC and this is a branch of that. During the festival directors, actors, and actresses from all over the world come to Doha to show off their work. I was able to attend about five different screenings ranging from comedies, to documentaries, to dramas. My favorite was the Reluctant Fundamentalist and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. Another cool part of the festival was being able to see an interview with Robert De Niro, although the interview itself was pretty boring. At the end of the day, it's ROBERT DE NIRO. Who cares what they talk about? I really did have a great time at the festival as a whole and especially enjoyed some of the afterparties at the W hotel, one of those moments when you ask yourself...How is it that I end up at a film festival after party in Doha, Qatar with world renowned film makers?
Let's talk a little sports now. Just finished up a basketball league last week. The league was suprisingly competitive and gave us some great games. Our team wasn't exactly the best in the league but it was a great group of guys to play with. During our last game of the season we were warming up for the game and I noticed people gathering in the corner of the gym. At first it was only three guys and they begin to pray, as it was time for the last call to prayer of the day. Upon seeing this, men from all of the gym put down their basketballs and went over the join them in this final prayer. After a few minutes there were a dozen or so men praying together in the gym. I thought that this was fascinating and an incredible display of humility and dedication to religion. Those who weren't Muslim continued to warm up and after a few minutes the games began. In addition to basketball I started taking golf lessons so next time I'm at Top Golf I can have a better showing. I also signed up for a work out boot camp that starts this week as a change of pace to the work out routine.
Last major note is that Movember is quickly coming to a close. There is still time to donate and I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive all month. Our team is currently #51 in the whole US and we have raised over $12,000! If you want to donate go to http://mobro.co/EvanWitt.
That should about cover it for now. This week Doha is hosting the COP18 United Nations Sustainability conference. The city is expecting about 20,000 visitors and we are already being advised that traffic will be a challenge for the whole 2 week long conference. Next weekend I will be going dessert camping for the first time in Doha and am planning a road trip to Dubai the weekend after. So plenty more to come. Talk soon!
On the topic of giving Thanks, one of the MANY things that I am thankful for is being in Qatar. I truthfully feel that Qatar is one of the most unique places on the planet that I could be living. It is incredibly diverse, offers access to a very high quality of life, hosts many global events, is incredibly safe, and more. Having now been here for three months, people like to ask "How do you like it so far?". When I respond that I love it here and feel privileged to be able to call this home, they look at me as if I am crazy. And while I may be crazy, it never ceases to amaze me the things that people can complain about. Can traffic be bad in Doha? Yep. Is it easy to get the exact foods or products you may want? Nope. Are the policies and procedures in the country efficient? Not exactly. But in the grand scheme, all of these are such trivial issues. Anywhere you live will have its flaws and Doha is no exception. But as I reflect on my time here to this point, I can honestly say I hit the jackpot when moving out here. Hopefully my opinion doesn't change in the coming months and years but I would say we are off to a good start.
In other big news, the Doha Tribeca Film Festival took place this week. Many of you are familiar with the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC and this is a branch of that. During the festival directors, actors, and actresses from all over the world come to Doha to show off their work. I was able to attend about five different screenings ranging from comedies, to documentaries, to dramas. My favorite was the Reluctant Fundamentalist and I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone. Another cool part of the festival was being able to see an interview with Robert De Niro, although the interview itself was pretty boring. At the end of the day, it's ROBERT DE NIRO. Who cares what they talk about? I really did have a great time at the festival as a whole and especially enjoyed some of the afterparties at the W hotel, one of those moments when you ask yourself...How is it that I end up at a film festival after party in Doha, Qatar with world renowned film makers?
Let's talk a little sports now. Just finished up a basketball league last week. The league was suprisingly competitive and gave us some great games. Our team wasn't exactly the best in the league but it was a great group of guys to play with. During our last game of the season we were warming up for the game and I noticed people gathering in the corner of the gym. At first it was only three guys and they begin to pray, as it was time for the last call to prayer of the day. Upon seeing this, men from all of the gym put down their basketballs and went over the join them in this final prayer. After a few minutes there were a dozen or so men praying together in the gym. I thought that this was fascinating and an incredible display of humility and dedication to religion. Those who weren't Muslim continued to warm up and after a few minutes the games began. In addition to basketball I started taking golf lessons so next time I'm at Top Golf I can have a better showing. I also signed up for a work out boot camp that starts this week as a change of pace to the work out routine.
Last major note is that Movember is quickly coming to a close. There is still time to donate and I want to thank everyone who has been so supportive all month. Our team is currently #51 in the whole US and we have raised over $12,000! If you want to donate go to http://mobro.co/EvanWitt.
That should about cover it for now. This week Doha is hosting the COP18 United Nations Sustainability conference. The city is expecting about 20,000 visitors and we are already being advised that traffic will be a challenge for the whole 2 week long conference. Next weekend I will be going dessert camping for the first time in Doha and am planning a road trip to Dubai the weekend after. So plenty more to come. Talk soon!
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