Ankur and Genny’s Meandering Tour

Guess who I saw tonight?!?!? Someone FAMOUS....

Venus Williams!!!!! :)

She's not as huge (muscles wise) as I imagined but she's very tall. And boy does she have a lot of power!!!! She was playing doubles and they won the first set 6-0 in about 15 min! The second set did not go as well but they won the 10 point tie-breaker...just barely! The great thing about the Qatar Tennis Open is the tiny court so you're still close to the court even in the last row. It was great. I can't wait to see her play singles.

I also saw the Isreali player, Shahar Peer, in doubles and Ankur saw the controversial Indian player, Sania Mirza. She was the one who had her bare feet near the Indian flag and caused all kinds of drama. She was also criticized as a Muslim for wearing a tennis skirt (what else is she supposed to wear?). Unfortunatly she had leg cramps and had to forfeit tonight.

The Qatar Tennis Open continues through the weekend. Hopefully we can make it to the finals!!!

-Gen

Not only is the belly growing but the beard as well. Not mine you fools! Ankur is growing a beard until June. Not exactly sure why but I recall Ankur discussing it w/Steve at the bar a month back and the idea stuck. So now we have weekly shots of the belly and beard. Both are doing fine.

The baby has started to move in the last week or two. To me she seems oddly strong for a little 1 lb. 7-9 inch person. She's kicking around now as I'm typing...she knows I'm talking about her! If her kicking feels strong now I can't imagine a couple months from now!

I don't even want to think about what the beard will be like in a couple months either!

-Gen

Compounds have been bugging me for the last few weeks. 

They're the in-city equivalent to US suburbs.  There's recreation, community, shopping, everything (except work) without leaving the compound.  Some (if not most) compounds are bought by large companies and each villa is given to an employee as part of their ex-pat compensation. 

Most compounds are cookie-cutter construction that looks similar to this (you can even see the sprinkler by the sign).  Blah.

But it really isn't the compounds that irritate me - they are nice houses, safe to walk around in, and usually have a nice pool and gym.  It is the people that live in compounds that have no idea abou anything else in the country or region that irritate me. 

I was having lunch at Texas A&M and one of the staffers (not necessarily working in the university) was boisterous and loud and had no idea what the Corniche was (beach lining the city), what there was to do in Doha (or Dubai!), and looked like someone was speaking gibberish when they mentioned Sheesha (hubbly bubbly/hookah). 

Now, if you weren't from this part of the world, this is normal.  But this guy has been here 8 years.  8 years in Doha time is like 50 years in normal city time.  After 8 years, you should be able to say "Qatar" without making it sound like "Que-targh". 

It isn't just some Americans or Brits or Europeans in compounds that have a similar behavioral pattern.  Other ethnic groups in the region tend to flock together and don't have any interest in mingling or learning others' culture.  Some Indians or Filipinos live in a "Mini-India" or "Mini-Phillipines" by speaking only their native tongues and never venturing out of their comfort zones.  Part of this is habit.  People get used to the famililar and will actively need to break out to explore other areas. 

Similar to suburbanites in the US, it isn't an all-encompassing generalization.  There are plenty of people who live in the suburbs, but not in a shell.  There are plenty of Filipinos who have multi-ethnic friends. 

Maybe I've been watching too many Russell Peters youtube videos, "There's not going to be any more white people, there's not going to be any black people.  Everyone's going to be beige."  The whole world is mixing - we might as well be multicultural now.

Maybe it is my expectations in people.  Perhaps I expect ex-pats to be slightly more aware of their surroundings and perhaps see the sights every once in a while.  I perhaps expect ex-pats in an 80% ex-pat country to try and learn new things instead of hiding in a shell. 

Oh well.  I love my hummous.

I had a quick visit to Paris last week and took a few pictures. 

And I really mean quick - I spent 3.5 hours walking around Paris, and then was confined to a meeting room for the rest of the day.  After that, I came back to Doha. 

I did have time for some good bread and chocolate croissants though.  I've never quite appreciated the croissant genre until walking to La Defense and stopping in a random Boulangerie and having one.  So amazing delicious.

I did have a stop at the Eiffel Tour, Arc de Triumphe, and Champs Elysees.  But that's it. 

Oh, and it was freezing.  Well, almost (1 degree C).  I don't like freezing cold any more.