Huh? Another year has rolled around? Where did all those 525, 600 minutes go? How many of them did I WASTE? Too many, I am afraid. It has been a crazy year, but isn't our life always crazy in one way, shape or form? That's a rhetorical question because those of you who know us know that we have never known any other kind of lifestyle!
I am starting a list here of resolutions. You know the regular ones: lose weight, exercise more, eat healthier. Yada, yada, yada....Aren't those all a given? My daughter, Jenny, started hers early and has been smoke free for 4 days! Wow! So, I already told her my first one tonight. I didn't know what it was until I made it:
1) All of my children and grandchildren will be passport holders yet this year so they are able to visit us anywhere in the world. If we can't get them here, maybe we can meet in Paris, or Jamaica (yeah, yeah, Jamaica, mon!) or something!
2) I will complete a 50 mile (80 km) endurance ride here in Qatar or in the U.S. No guarantees about surviving it, just finishing it. Personally, I'd love to do the Shore to Shore 250 again......I'm not that crazy.....it will take me more than 7 months to be ready for THAT!
3) Visit another country we have not yet been in (layovers during flights home do not count!), preferably Egypt, Oman, UAE, someplace Middle Eastern or European. Hey, we went to Paris last summer and actually spent a little time there. :)
4) Research and present my research at more professional conferences, especially in reading. The more I teach, the more I see the NEED for more reading in this country. I want to find out how I can make that happen!
5) Continue improving myself as a teacher....I learn more and more with each passing semester from my colleagues and especially my students. It's an amazing process.
6) Have more fun with FRIENDS. Slow down and make those stops to say HI and chat. Have more BBQ potlucks.
7) Have more fun with NELSON. My status reports that the top ten words on my list includes Nelson as the #1 word. So, why aren't we having fun yet? Well, we are, but not enough. Here's my resolution for that: A hug a day, every day, no excuses!
8) Learn the names of all the people in our lives who try to be shadows due to race or culture or perceived status, and thank them for whatever it is they do in our lives: it's the right thing to do.
9) Count at least one thing each day that I am thankful for....doing that at Thanksgiving on Facebook was fun and enlightening. I should do it everyday, on or off Facebook!
10) Learn more about the ugly things in the world, so I can be more politically active and make informed decisions and have informed opinions. I may live "abroad," but I don't feel I have a broad sense of the world and what is happening in it. It's too easy to let myself become encapsulated in the little world of Qatar University, my job, my students, my own aches, pains, and complaints. I need to look outside my window and see what's beyond, learn what's out there, and if nothing else, seek truth and recognize injustice when I see it.
OK, that's a good start. Maybe I'll add more later. Officially, it is 2010 here now although it won't be for another 8 hours back home. Time for bed and another new year's resolution: Get more sleep!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
December has flown by like I was standing still and in another week, we'll ring in a New Year! It's Christmas Day already here in Qatar. I teased my granddaughter that Santa comes here before he gets to her house! She did not like THAT one bit!
Being away from family at the holidays is difficult at best. It's hard not to feel a little sorry for yourself at times, but then common sense takes over, Skype kicks in, your granddaughter "reads" to you from the Christmas gift (kindergarten workbook/activities) you sent to her, and then it's not so bad. It doesn't exactly "feel" like Christmas....we were followed home tonight by thunder and lightning and rain. No Christmas lights on trees or houses or down the main street of town. No calling of Merry Christmas or Happy New Year everywhere around you as you shop or go out to eat or stop to buy gas. However, there were a few who wished us those things, and it was appreciated. I found myself having to ask people, "Do you celebrate Christmas?" because you don't want to wish Christmas blessings on someone who does not appreciate it. That kind of bothers me because I wished Eid Mubarak to everyone I met and saw during those holidays, but what can we do? Be merry and enjoy ourselves anyway! The Lulu Hypermarket had a nice selection of Christmas candy and played carols this evening. Giant Store gave us a 15% discount for shopping with them today. I appreciate those things a lot. It was a long day for us. I worked this morning, Nelson shoed a horse and picked me up for lunch about 1 p.m. We ate fast and did our Christmas shopping quickly...we agreed with Nettie that due to the money crunch in our bank account, we would have a "Daiso" Christmas this year (Daiso is the equivalent of a dollar store where everything costs 7 riyal, or roughly $1.90), and we've had trouble getting there. There's only one, unlike dollar stores which are everywhere in the U.S.
After that, we shoed the front feet of a horse at the Federation, ran over to the racetrack to see the second race in which a horse Nelson has shod was running, only to discover it started early today and we missed it. The horse placed 7th, but it's his first race back after a long layup, so wait til next time, Doha! We finally met Jeremy and Ellen! Michael and Crystal met us at the track for a short while. We schmoozed a little with a couple clients and then ran back over to the Federation to shoe the hind feet of that horse. THEN! We headed for Lulu, stopped and got a few things for a Christmas breakfast, some desserts for dinner and more baking stuff. Don't ask! Then, finally, at 8 p.m. we headed home to eat dinner at Imelda and Martin's at 9 p.m. Soooo tired already by then, but enjoyed delicious turkey and mashed potatoes and a lot of other Filipino Christmas foods and treats made by Imelda and her aunt, Medina. It was so good and we ate so much, we will have to wait for dessert until tomorrow! Then, hurry home to Skype with the kids. Mykayla opened her gift from us, a kindergarten workbook, which she proceeded to read to us and work puzzles like there was no tomorrow. We love Skype! Poor Kenzie is sick in bed and everybody else at Carrie's has a nasty cold except Kayla. Then more phone calls home, wrapping gifts, filling Nelson's stocking with mini Payday bars (he was just lamenting over not being able to find any here this week so they were a find!), fighting heartburn (what was in those spring rolls, Imelda?), and blogging before I run a hot bath with mineral salts (rose scented...gift to myself from Daiso) and go to bed. My brain is actually wide awake and my book will probably keep me awake for awhile (Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali), but I can sleep in as late as I want! :)
Hohoho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Being away from family at the holidays is difficult at best. It's hard not to feel a little sorry for yourself at times, but then common sense takes over, Skype kicks in, your granddaughter "reads" to you from the Christmas gift (kindergarten workbook/activities) you sent to her, and then it's not so bad. It doesn't exactly "feel" like Christmas....we were followed home tonight by thunder and lightning and rain. No Christmas lights on trees or houses or down the main street of town. No calling of Merry Christmas or Happy New Year everywhere around you as you shop or go out to eat or stop to buy gas. However, there were a few who wished us those things, and it was appreciated. I found myself having to ask people, "Do you celebrate Christmas?" because you don't want to wish Christmas blessings on someone who does not appreciate it. That kind of bothers me because I wished Eid Mubarak to everyone I met and saw during those holidays, but what can we do? Be merry and enjoy ourselves anyway! The Lulu Hypermarket had a nice selection of Christmas candy and played carols this evening. Giant Store gave us a 15% discount for shopping with them today. I appreciate those things a lot. It was a long day for us. I worked this morning, Nelson shoed a horse and picked me up for lunch about 1 p.m. We ate fast and did our Christmas shopping quickly...we agreed with Nettie that due to the money crunch in our bank account, we would have a "Daiso" Christmas this year (Daiso is the equivalent of a dollar store where everything costs 7 riyal, or roughly $1.90), and we've had trouble getting there. There's only one, unlike dollar stores which are everywhere in the U.S.
After that, we shoed the front feet of a horse at the Federation, ran over to the racetrack to see the second race in which a horse Nelson has shod was running, only to discover it started early today and we missed it. The horse placed 7th, but it's his first race back after a long layup, so wait til next time, Doha! We finally met Jeremy and Ellen! Michael and Crystal met us at the track for a short while. We schmoozed a little with a couple clients and then ran back over to the Federation to shoe the hind feet of that horse. THEN! We headed for Lulu, stopped and got a few things for a Christmas breakfast, some desserts for dinner and more baking stuff. Don't ask! Then, finally, at 8 p.m. we headed home to eat dinner at Imelda and Martin's at 9 p.m. Soooo tired already by then, but enjoyed delicious turkey and mashed potatoes and a lot of other Filipino Christmas foods and treats made by Imelda and her aunt, Medina. It was so good and we ate so much, we will have to wait for dessert until tomorrow! Then, hurry home to Skype with the kids. Mykayla opened her gift from us, a kindergarten workbook, which she proceeded to read to us and work puzzles like there was no tomorrow. We love Skype! Poor Kenzie is sick in bed and everybody else at Carrie's has a nasty cold except Kayla. Then more phone calls home, wrapping gifts, filling Nelson's stocking with mini Payday bars (he was just lamenting over not being able to find any here this week so they were a find!), fighting heartburn (what was in those spring rolls, Imelda?), and blogging before I run a hot bath with mineral salts (rose scented...gift to myself from Daiso) and go to bed. My brain is actually wide awake and my book will probably keep me awake for awhile (Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali), but I can sleep in as late as I want! :)
Hohoho! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Eid holiday 2009
Nelson says I have to post my blog before I go back to work and get busy....this morning he sent me photos from our holiday EXPECTING that I would, so here I am.
Our holiday went by too fast as holidays are wont to do! We did so much that I'm not sure I can cover it all here. We rode horses, we shoed horses, we washed, groomed, walked, fed and photographed horses. We watched as Ranu, Salam, Suel and Saifel made cement and laid a pad for Nelson to shoe horses on. It was after hours for them and dark, so we parked so they could see what they were doing. It is certainly a different method here and would make my brothers and my son cringe if they ever saw how they do it! I spent a lot of time trying to remember the name of every worker at the farm and I am pleased to say that I think I have. In addition to the 4 I mentioned above there is also Saga, Raja and Shakeel. There is one more whose name I can't recall right now and it's going to drive me crazy....I thought I had remembered them ALL. I'll remember after I post this, of course.
We camped at the farm in a little tent we picked up at the Carrefour...it wasn't bad, easy to put up and take down, although folding a tent properly is always exasperating for me! We had a little campfire every night except the night we forgot the matches. The moon was out full this past week so it was beautiful to sit under the stars and ponder our human existence. Donkey took good care of us although his greeting is a bit jarring to the ears. The weather was quite pleasant and even though the wind blew and howled in the wee hours of the morning on our second night, it was fun....felt like we were home in Michigan during a snowstorm, only it was WARM outside. :) Everyone else is complaining how cold it is and Nelson and I think it's perfect sleeping weather. All of the folk who come to the farm were amazed and curious by our camping endeavor. We loved it and Nelson normally hates tents. We are exhausted now but we had a wonderful time.
No news yet on any business dealings, but it takes a little time for things to start rolling after a holiday here. Remember what they say: time is elastic here.
I also spent some time riding Hamam (Kirrong Mahahn, but the workers always call him Hamam and so it sticks as such) and teaching him to drop his head, tuck his chin and round his back. He is a dear horse, learns quickly and has bonded with me already. I wish I didn't do that with horses. In any case, he is looking great since he's been on some oil and other supplements. I started him on a new feeding regimen this week, too. We've been doing stretching exercises, too and he enjoys figuring out how to reach the carrot with his head between his front legs....I think he might need a chiropractor, but I think the stretching is helping him. I need to show Shakeel how to do these things (ride him in the draw reins and stretching exercises) as I start back to work tomorrow and won't be able to be there every day. I also did a little training exercise with Esteem on the track. No matter how hard or fast I ride him, he comes in with a super low pulse...my competitive riding friends back home would love him! He's also a smart little guy who figured out where I had set up our "stash" for checks every 5 km (it's on the track so it wasn't hard!) and was a bit put out that he didn't get to stop EVERY km. :) I think he is perfectly prepared for a 60 km, but I don't know about myself. I stressed the knee a bit yesterday and it bothered me although it's better today. So.....I'll have to decide if I can do it or not. I only did 10 km yesterday so next week, I'll try 15. He really doesn't go as well on the track as he does on the trails...he bores quickly. Of course, we were alone and riding with other horses might change his attitude! Inshallah!
My dear Nelson just brought me some eggs for a late breakfast so it's time to quit and eat and get ready for the day, our evening and work tomorrow. I have laundry to do and tonight we are going to the Christmas tree lighting at the Ritz like we did last year. This year there will be many more of our friends! Stay tuned for photos!
Our holiday went by too fast as holidays are wont to do! We did so much that I'm not sure I can cover it all here. We rode horses, we shoed horses, we washed, groomed, walked, fed and photographed horses. We watched as Ranu, Salam, Suel and Saifel made cement and laid a pad for Nelson to shoe horses on. It was after hours for them and dark, so we parked so they could see what they were doing. It is certainly a different method here and would make my brothers and my son cringe if they ever saw how they do it! I spent a lot of time trying to remember the name of every worker at the farm and I am pleased to say that I think I have. In addition to the 4 I mentioned above there is also Saga, Raja and Shakeel. There is one more whose name I can't recall right now and it's going to drive me crazy....I thought I had remembered them ALL. I'll remember after I post this, of course.
We camped at the farm in a little tent we picked up at the Carrefour...it wasn't bad, easy to put up and take down, although folding a tent properly is always exasperating for me! We had a little campfire every night except the night we forgot the matches. The moon was out full this past week so it was beautiful to sit under the stars and ponder our human existence. Donkey took good care of us although his greeting is a bit jarring to the ears. The weather was quite pleasant and even though the wind blew and howled in the wee hours of the morning on our second night, it was fun....felt like we were home in Michigan during a snowstorm, only it was WARM outside. :) Everyone else is complaining how cold it is and Nelson and I think it's perfect sleeping weather. All of the folk who come to the farm were amazed and curious by our camping endeavor. We loved it and Nelson normally hates tents. We are exhausted now but we had a wonderful time.
No news yet on any business dealings, but it takes a little time for things to start rolling after a holiday here. Remember what they say: time is elastic here.
I also spent some time riding Hamam (Kirrong Mahahn, but the workers always call him Hamam and so it sticks as such) and teaching him to drop his head, tuck his chin and round his back. He is a dear horse, learns quickly and has bonded with me already. I wish I didn't do that with horses. In any case, he is looking great since he's been on some oil and other supplements. I started him on a new feeding regimen this week, too. We've been doing stretching exercises, too and he enjoys figuring out how to reach the carrot with his head between his front legs....I think he might need a chiropractor, but I think the stretching is helping him. I need to show Shakeel how to do these things (ride him in the draw reins and stretching exercises) as I start back to work tomorrow and won't be able to be there every day. I also did a little training exercise with Esteem on the track. No matter how hard or fast I ride him, he comes in with a super low pulse...my competitive riding friends back home would love him! He's also a smart little guy who figured out where I had set up our "stash" for checks every 5 km (it's on the track so it wasn't hard!) and was a bit put out that he didn't get to stop EVERY km. :) I think he is perfectly prepared for a 60 km, but I don't know about myself. I stressed the knee a bit yesterday and it bothered me although it's better today. So.....I'll have to decide if I can do it or not. I only did 10 km yesterday so next week, I'll try 15. He really doesn't go as well on the track as he does on the trails...he bores quickly. Of course, we were alone and riding with other horses might change his attitude! Inshallah!
My dear Nelson just brought me some eggs for a late breakfast so it's time to quit and eat and get ready for the day, our evening and work tomorrow. I have laundry to do and tonight we are going to the Christmas tree lighting at the Ritz like we did last year. This year there will be many more of our friends! Stay tuned for photos!
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