Villagio Mall

Shopping is this nation's most popular leisure activity, perhaps driven by the fact that Qatar has the world's highest GDP per person and perhaps partly because with the summer heat there is little else on offer. Whilst I initially thought the idea of creating a small Italian village in a mall a little tacky - with soaring temperatures and the usual dusty, bland landscape, the painted dreamy blue sky and fluffy white clouds with a soothing canal is suprisingly appealing. The girls love the gondola ride too.

Eid al Adha

We just celebrated another Eid holiday here last week - we have had several since we arrived - one of the reasons we love being here - they love their religion and we love their holidays. They take it seriously usually closing the country down for several days. Eid Al Adha starts after the Haj pilgramage and approximately 70 days after Ramadan (so the dates are never known at the start of the year - again making it difficult for planning.) This is the festival of sacrifice to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to demonstrate his faith in God and sacrifice his son Ishmael. In historical accounts such as the Bible it is the first born son Isaac. So, a goat or other animal sacrifice is an important part of this festival - it is commmon to see animals on the back of trucks the few days around this Eid. One small drawback to this festival was that they seemed to put up the loudspeaker on all the mosques and preached throughtout the night. One early morning after listening to a preacher on loudspeaker for what seemed like hours I finally decided to get up and go and have a peek at our local mosque - from the tinted windows of our car. I drove to our local mosque - only a few hundred metres to find it empty, then the next local mosque which was again empty. Curious, I continued down the road to find hundreds of cars and thousands of men praying in an open desert paddock where they had just witnessed the sacrifice of an animal - part of the tradition requires that each man sacrifice his own animal with his own hands and if he can't do it he can ask someone else to do it for him, but he must witness it. Unfortunately, I was not brave enough in my brief nightdress to draw too much attention to myself by taking photos, so this is all I could manage.

Iranian Dinner

We have been eating our way through Middle Eastern cuisine - whilst we have Turkish and Lebanese food everywhere here and I have found a favourite Moroccan place, we have also enjoyed our local Iraqi restaurant which delivers fresh and cheaply to our door. One of our favourite restaurants in Melbourne over the last few years was Persian so we decided to try an Iranian one here at Souq Waqif. It was far more glamourous than the restaurants we usually visit but the food was delicious and we all enjoyed the traditional seating on the floor - well at least we enjoyed it in the beginning but then found it increasingly difficult to stay comfortable whilst eating, also complicated since you are not supposed to show the soles of your feet to anyone.

The Pearl

This place "The Pearl" has emerged from the sea in the last four years. From the sky the man made island is supposed to look like a Pearl. It reminds me a little of Southbank although it doesn't seem to be very popular at the moment and there are many vacant apartment buildings and yet they are building 100s more. We love that the weather is finally friendly enough to enjoy being outside.

Papier Mache Globe

When we first arrived here and we were housebound because of the heat I did not know where to begin with the girls so I spent countless hours researching various options, theories and philosphies about learning at home. I knew I loved the freedom of "unschooling" and the opportunites it provides to learn and explore real life experiences and concepts in context and based on what interested or was relevant for the moment. So, based on the girls endless questions trying to understand why it is nightime in Melbourne and daytime on this side of the world and Winter in Melbourne and Summer in Doha, we decided to explore the earth and the sun and moon. We made papier mache glue, ripped up piles of newspapers and got to work. This was one of the messiest activities I have ever done so there isn't any pictures of the process as the girls stripped down to their underpants as they slided and rolled around our tiled floor. A and I also both love maps so we loved introducing the girls to the continents - which suddenly makes more sense when you have moved to the other side of the world.

Tennis Models

Perhaps G is remembering back to her early modelling days as the baby star of Australian Open Tennis? Either way they certainly had fun posing in their tennis gear with the stars of Women Tennis. (Again, it's not poor photography but the high humidity!)

Huh?

The Doha Cup

We may have missed the Melbourne Cup this year but we made it to the Doha Cup. The races here are quite a different experience with no legal gambling - instead you can buy a lottery ticket to win a toaster or other electrical item, although we did see some suspicious groups of men in huddles; there is also no fashion - and in fact very few women even come to watch. I was amused at finding one woman in traditional black wearing the hijab and studying the form guide. Whilst it is televised and Arabian horses are considered amongst the best in the world - it is actually a small and intimate event where you can get very close to the horses, jockeys, trainers and owners. We all had fun and A particularly delighted in it and showing a keen interest in the horses and racing - picking the winner in nearly every race. Sadly, we didn't actually buy a ticket so left without a toaster.

Moon

Children love the moon don't they? They seem fascinated by it. I'm growing in my understanding and appreciation too. Living here where it has such spiritual significance means I pay far more attention to it too. Here, where the lunar calendar and not the solar calendar of the Western world holds precedence - so the moon dictates what precise time to pray throughout the day (and night) and even on which day to celebrate or participate in religious rites. We have waited at home in the evening wondering whether the moon's phase would mean it was a working day or a public holiday. It always makes me smile as the time and organisation obsessed world I'm from cannot fathom how such important things could be left to the sighting of the moon. Things are changing now though as science proves what people have known for centuries - that the moon is powerful. So ideas such as planting by the moon is gaining in recognition and no longer dismissed by many as superstition. The girls had such fun mixing shaving cream and PVA glue together which forms a sensory delight and upon drying gives a perfect foamy texture reminiscent of the moon's surface. We made full moons, half moons and crescent moons as we discussed the different phases of the moon.

Football Showdown

Last night Dad and I went to see Argentina and Brazil play in what was advertised as the South American Showdown here at Khalifa Stadium. I am not a football fan but an opportunity to see some of the world's best sportsmen play in the world's most popular game seemed worthwhile. 6 minutes into the game I started to question this and after 90 minutes of play - the score was still zero for both teams! Even with a final goal to Argentina in the last minute it was still a little dull. As always I enjoyed watching the international crowd though - in particular, although there were very few local women spectators, one passionate woman stood out in her hijab and niqab with the Argentinian flag attached and it was also fun to see a few of the men have switched to their winter thobes which come in various neutral shades.

The fabric ideas

This is a follow on from our souq trip to buy fabric months ago. I knew the girls would love it but I have loved watching how our material inspired new play ideas. It was used as costumes for a little sun and moon play to music. It was a baby's blanket. Scarves for ballet and contemporary dance. As a toga style dress which Ella wore to the shops today. And as an Arabian princess. And it has been used like "play silks" or scarves, to be the desert, sand dunes, the ocean etc. I can't believe I haven't thought of such a fun activity earlier. The girls can't wait for another opportunity to choose another piece of fabric.

Modern Architecture of Doha

So it's no secret - Qatar has little to offer in terms of natural beauty. I don't intend to offend. It has some pretty coastline if you are daring enough to drive through sand dunes. But inland it's just sand - and not even the red, rippled sand one imagines of Arabia, more like the ordinary, pale and dusty variety. They have, however, a vision of setting themselves up as a modern city with lots to offer the business tourist (at least on this they are realistic). At least for those of us who find ourselves here, we can appreciate the efforts they have made with modern archictecture. Here are a few of my favourites.

Dhow Cruise

Today we went on a Dhow Cruise along the Corniche. The Dhows are the old fishing and pearling boats of Qatar and one of the few historic and authentic remnants of life in Doha, before it won the lottery. The girls have been waiting for months for grandparents to arrive so they could go on it. This was followed by our favourite Turkey Central -shish tawook for a picnic dinner on the green grass.