Bahrain Grand Prix Weekend

One of my GCC bucket list events since I moved to Doha has been the Bahrain F1 Grand Prix! It seemed that every year the event would pass without me having realized it but this year I was determined to make it happen! In a planets align sort of moment we also had two friends from New Zealand, Mark and Holly, move to Bahrain just a few weeks before the race!

Kristal and I embarked on our 25 minute flight to Bahrain on Thursday night arriving at around 9pm.

Although such a short distance from Qatar, Bahrain was noticeably different. The country (believe it or not) was even smaller than Qatar but also less developed. There wasn’t as much of the glitz and glamor you see in Doha and Dubai but a more modest approach. Regulations (specifically around alcohol) were much more relaxed and enjoyed by the similarly large ex-pat population. In the few conversations we had with Bahrainis and others living there it was clear that the lifestyles for nationals were more modest and they experienced a lot of struggles. This accounts for some of the disapproval with the local governments. 

That’s enough politics for now, because Bahrain really showed its best with the F1 race. Widely considered to be the biggest event of the year in country, it seemed like everyone had turned out. The raceway had a festive atmosphere with entertainment that included none other than Mr. Worldwide himself (not sure how Pitbull got a gig in a GCC country), acrobats, drumlines, an ice village and more! The race itself was a new experience as well watching the cars zip around the track. I am admittedly an F1 novice but was impressed by all the fans in attendance.

 

Although it was a quick visit to Bahrain I was so happy to have been able to go. Big shout out to Mark and Holly for hosting us and we were happy to return the favor as they visited Doha this past weekend! Looking forward to more adventures to come with those two. For now it is the end of the academic year in Doha with graduations next week. Looking forward to wrapping another great work year!

Let the Good Times Roll!

So my last post came after summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, and I must say things haven’t slowed down since then! Upon returning from Tanzania I dove directly into a three week tour of the good ‘ol US of A! First stop was Chicago for a LeaderShape training that challenged me both personally and professionally. It was incredibly rewarding and really energized me for the work I am doing back in Doha. I got to connect with some old friends and also meet some people doing incredible things in education, social justice, and leadership development.

After Chicago I flew over to Las Vegas to meet up with Kristal and her family. It was the first time we got to see family since the engagement, and it sure was a good time! We were in Vegas for a lot of reasons, but one of the most important was to celebrate Blair and Lynn’s Bachelor and Bachelorette parties. Blair is Kristal’s cousin and is getting married this summer. In Vegas we had a bunch of Kristal’s cousins, her parents, aunts and uncles, and even grandparents! Her family LOVES Vegas and for her grandpa it was his 35^th (yes 35^th….) trip to Vegas. It was amazing hearing them tell stories from back in the day and to see them in their element. Did I mention we got to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day there as well?

 

After Vegas it was over to New Orleans for a student affairs conference. Brandon and Dad flew down to meet us there and our friends Erin and Kyle drove in from Austin. It was a great conference that Kristal and I both presented at. We got to see friends from graduate school, old colleagues, and of course friends and family already mentioned. New Orleans was an incredible city and we spent most of the time and an eating and drinking tour to take it all in. Some of the highlights were Pat O’s, a swamp tour, real Jazz on Frenchmen Street, Mardis Gras World, a ghost tour that actually terrified us, and a steam boat down the Mississippi. All of that was between being at a conference from 8am-8pm every day! Did I mention we celebrated my birthday there?

 

  

 

By the end of it all we were sad to leave the states but SO ready to get back to Doha. Kristal, Kevin (from Evan & Kevin) and myself were actually on the same flight back from the US. It was a direct flight from Chicago to Doha and work had paid for each of us to fly business class. We had a wine and cheese party 30,000 feet in the air, with all of the flight crew laughing at us. 

Being back in Doha has been great and full of making the most of our time before summer hits. We have had some CRAZY weather including multiple sand storms that are so serious was had two “Sand Days” which left the entire apartment covered in a layer of dust. We did engagement photos in the Souq and Corniche (which can be found on Facebook), we went Dolphin watching in Musandam, Oman with friends who moved to Dubai, and this weekend we head to Bahrain for a Formula 1 race! Although it has been quite busy we are really having the time of our lives.

 

That about covers it for now. Want to give a shout out to Zach and Kristina Devesty on their new baby girl, Arden, who was born last week. We can’t wait to meet her and am glad to hear everyone is healthy. It has been great catching up with a lot of you the last few weeks and hoping to see more folks as the academic year winds down. Keep in touch!