The Empty Nest

Okay, I admit the title is a bit dramatic. My nest will not be empty, thank God, for many years to come. I actually would like my children to remain living with me for a long time, even when they grow up. But I know this is wishful thinking. One day I will have to cut the apron strings and let them move on, to pursue their goals and dreams, and have lives and families of their own. But, eventually I would like all of us to live close by, so we can see each other at least a few times a week.

I have enrolled my youngest child in preschool. Now before I go any farther I want to bring up the subject of schooling here. Enrolling children in good schools has become increasingly difficult. The choices one has for good English schools are limited. A great number of families are moving to Doha, thus causing the demand to spiral upwards at an astounding rate. Some companies, namely the in the oil and gas industry, go the distance of reserving seats in good schools for their employees children prior to their arrival.

Waiting lists in schools are excessively long, some have exceeded their capacity. I have heard of a few families who have received employment offers, who ultimately have decided not to come, since their children were not accepted in the schools of their choice. Due to limited space availability, our two elder children go to two different schools, which is not uncommon here. The waiting list for both schools, especially the better school is extremely long, even for siblings. We have begun to give up the hope that they will eventually attend the same school.

Schools have also become increasingly expensive. Tuition, like everything else, is on the rise. After only one year tuition has increased up to 50% in many schools. A few employers pay 100% of their employee’s children tuition, but the majority either pays partial, or none at all. Though Qatar has a public school system, which is free for all residents, they are mainly Arabic.

This applies for preschools & nurseries as well. There are several preschools, but only a handful which will be a good fit for each individual child. Most are also full with long waiting lists and are quite costly. Tuition can start from 1,200 riyals a month to up to 4,000 riyals. Now I am one who would rather pay more for a child’s well being then less, but QR 4,000 for macaroni art and finger paint? I would rather save that amount for their college tuition.

After touring a few nurseries, I did like one enough to sign him up. His number on the waiting list? 30. One of my friends who owns one of the nicer nurseries generously offered to make room for him. The only downside was that it was far from our home and would have taken me about 40-50 minutes round trip just to drop him there. Add 40-50 minutes more to pick him up. Plus I have to pick 2 other kids up from their respective schools as well. Schlepping around town with 3 kids in Doha traffic is not my idea of fun. So I politely, yet reluctantly declined.

But I did want him to go to a nursery; more for socialization then anything else. I then spotted some signs near my home for one that had recently opened. It was only 3 minutes away from my home, so I decided to check it out. It turned out to be an Arabic nursery, but the owner spoke English well. I toured the facilities; they were clean and well equipped. The children were happy, well taken care of, and most importantly loved. I spoke to the owner and she assured me that she will step in when needed. So, I took a chance and enrolled him. He now goes 3-4 days a week for about 3 hours and is adjusting well. On his first day a delightful 4 year old decided to take him under her wing. She speaks to him in Arabic, he replies in English. They get along fine.

Learning Arabic is a high priority for me while I am here, both for myself and my children. The 2 older children study it as a language in school, plus I have a tutor who comes to teach them (A refuses to sit with them). I will also start classes in September, since I was waiting for A to start school. He has already picked up a few words and he understands many more, mainly simple sentences. In a few months he will be teaching us inshaAllah.

How to Cook a Camel

Just something I thought you might find interesting!

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Al Shama'al fi'd Doha

Dust storms, called shama’al in Arabic, are not an uncommon occurrence here. Every few months or so we endure through them. Although they can occur any time of year, they are more prevalent in the hot summer months. The past week, we were witness to one of the largest and fiercest storms this area has seen in years. The winds traveling at 70-75 km/h affected not only Qatar, but bought life to a standstill in many parts of Kuwait as well. Driving here is challenging as it is, but during these storms, which brings blinding winds and causes visibility to become drastically low, it becomes extremely dangerous. Yet there is also a certain beauty to them, especially when encountered in the vast open and unpopulated landscape. The billowing golden sand gracefully sweeps across the black tarmac of the roads, resembling waves of the ocean. It is surreal, and paradoxically serene.

The storm comes when least expected, suddenly creeping up on us and unleashing its fury. Doors and windows start shaking and knocking. Winds will start howling, wreaking havoc and bringing with it swirls upon swirls of sand and grit, enveloping everything within its reach. It affects us more since we live in a relatively less populated area on the outskirts of Doha, where there is an abundance of open land.

There will be a layer of dust over every single item inside the home. It even manages to find its way inside closed closets and cupboards. Keeping the house clean is a nightmare; I have to sweep the floor every few hours, especially around the windows and doors. In order to prevent dust from coming in, I have dust blockers on the doors and even stuff newspapers into the cracks and crevices, but to no avail. The dust, as fine as talcum powder, manages to seep in through even the thinnest cracks. The children will sometimes wear socks and skate on it. At times like these, I wish I had a full time, live-in maid, but only at times like these. I still cannot wrap my western brain around the fact that someone who I don’t know and am not related to will be living with me 24 hours a day, seven days a week - yet.

Fatayer for Breakfast

One of my favorite things to eat, I have discovered is fatayer (often pronounced feteer or fata-er). Fatayer literally means pastry in Arabic. They are savory pockets of dough and are usually filled with a variety of things, the most popular of all being spinach (sabanekh). Other fillings include cheese (jubn) such as feta or halloumi, chicken (djaaj), meat - usually ground beef or lamb (laham), potato (batata) and a mixture of soft fresh Arabic cheese made from yogurt called labneh, and za'atar. Za'atar is an Arabic herb and spice blend, which can include thyme, fennel, cumin, sumac and sesame seeds, all which are ground together. Other herbs and spices can be included according to different geographic regions.

These turnovers can be baked or fried, the baked ones more commonly available here. Here in the Middle East they are usually eaten as a snack or light lunch, though I prefer them for breakfast. My personal favorite is the egg and cheese (bil jubn wa baydh) fatayer. They remind me of the breakfast egg and cheese bagels one can get in many coffee shops in New York. They are also relatively inexpensive, costing about 3 riyals apiece.

The origin of the fatayer are a bit cloudy, with the Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and Egyptians all claiming it to have originated from them. Since I usually purchase them from Turkish restaurants they must have Turkish roots as well. They may also be a distant cousin of the Greek spinach turnovers called spanakopita.

Fatayer are very light yet filling. If made properly they are delicious, though in the beginning I ate a few which were just awful; bland, doughy and tasteless. I had given up on them for a while, but I spotted them on the menu at a small and insanely popular Turkish restaurant called Turkey Central. There are many Turkish establishments here; their kebabs are arguably the best I have eaten, and since they are inexpensive and extremely child friendly we frequent them often. Upon noticing them I thought, if all the other items on the menu are so good, let’s give the fatayer another chance.

They came unceremoniously on a plastic tray. The soft pillowy dough was baked until golden. Their tops were brushed with clarified butter (ghee) and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I had ordered a variety of fillings, cheese, eggs, lightly spiced chicken and lamb, and not one disappointed. I had found fatayer nirvana; they were doubtlessly the best I had eaten. There was plenty left over, so I had a few for breakfast the next morning. Now I sometimes purchase them solely for this, my infrequent indulgence.



The following is a recipe for spinach fatayer. Though the recipe gives instructions on how to make the dough, pre-made purchased bread dough, fresh or frozen, also works well.

Spinach Fatayer

For dough:
2 pounds (6 cups) all-purpose flour
1 envelope yeast, dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water with 1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup warmed milk
1 cup warm water

For filling:
4 bunches spinach, washed and chopped
Salt, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1 onion, finely grated
1 tablespoon sumac (available at Middle Eastern stores), optional

Instructions:
To make dough: Combine ingredients in a food processor until a stiff dough results. Add more warm water if needed. Let rise in a covered bowl for about 2 hours. Punch down dough and let rest for another hour until it rises again. Cut dough into 2-inch pieces and roll into balls. Place on an oiled pan and cover with a towel. Let dough rest for another 30 minutes.

To make filling: Wash and chop spinach. Sprinkle with salt to cause wilting. Squeeze water from spinach with your hands. Add oil, lemon, salt, onion and sumac if using.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a flat circle. Place 1 tablespoon spinach filling in the center. Pinch ends to meet in the middle to create a triangular shape. Let pies rest 15 minutes. Coat pan with oil and bake pies for 15 minutes or until browned.

Can be served warm or at room temperature. Makes 24.
Recipe courtesy of Blanche and Vera Araj from the San Jose Mercury News

Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition

The 5th annual Doha Jewelry and Watch Exhibition was held from February 12-17, 2008. This was the largest expo of its kind in the Gulf States. The event had coincided with the wedding season here and the much enthusiastically celebrated Valentines Day (by the way I hope you all had a happy youm al hub!).

We went with our 2 younger children in tow. N is getting to the age where she is beginning to appreciate the finer things in life, and was looking forward to spending some quality time with her mom. Security guards however, stopped us at the entrance and we were told ‘No baby’. We were both disappointed, but K insisted that since we had come this far, I should take a look. I eventually went alone, which felt strange since I did not see female shoppers by themselves, though I did see many groups of women. The event was attended mostly by Qatari’s along with a few expats; at least this was my observation the day I had attended.

I had gone with the assumption this would be similar to the Jewelry Mart back home, a place I had frequented a few times and which carried items in all price ranges, both designer and costume jewelry, with everything in between. This exhibition was mainly a high end affair. Organizations such as Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, and Henry Winston were just a few of the big names present. I saw pearls the size of kumquats and precious stones the size of walnuts (so much for the fruit & nut category). There was a lot of ‘bling’ and eye candy, to say the least. I fell for a pair of diamond and ruby earrings, but upon inspection of the price tag, 650,000.00 riyals, I decided I could (and should) live without them. Most items did not have price tags; I guess they did not want to induce sticker shock. Nonetheless, many pieces were undeniably gorgeous. So, after wandering around for a while, I ultimately left empty handed.

A Brief Introduction

I have noticed that I am getting a little more traffic to my blog than the 3 people (my beloved mother and sisters), for whom I had initially created it. So a bit of an introduction is in order. As some of you must have gathered from my previous posts, we are an American family, and have recently moved to Doha, Qatar a little over a year ago. We are a family of 5. We are conservative Muslims, and keeping with the spirit of an election year, liberal Democrats.

Although there were several reasons for this life changing move, the first and foremost was job security. Both my husband and I are professionals in the technology industry. Gone are the days when one would join a company at the onset of their careers, and leave at retirement with a pension or a company contributed 401K, and adequate health insurance to live their retirement in peace. Sadly, laying employees off, no matter how loyal and hard working they may be, has become extremely common in corporate America. Just a few weeks ago the tech giant Yahoo had announced it would lay off 1,000 employees, for ‘the stability of the company’. I am sure the vast majority of these workers are holding their pink slips and worrying about their own stability. So, after much deliberation, we decided to move abroad.

Moving is never an easy task; moving halfway around the world and leaving everything, and most importantly loved ones behind is even more difficult. My eldest child was initially like a fish out of water. But we try to keep him busy and he is settling in, though he has made it very clear he will move back upon completion of high school. We have also adjusted to our lives here and find many things endearing. Though life here, like anywhere else in the world, is not perfect, I prefer to focus on the positive. Here we have attained peace, something which had eluded us for years. Qatar is a rapidly growing country, yet it retains a balance between western style modernization, and its moderate religious and rich cultural roots. It also pays a tremendous amount of importance towards education, which will ensure its future success (here is a recent New York Times article on the Education City). It is also a family oriented country and has much to offer, some of which l try to incorporate in my entries.

The main reason I began to write this blog is to keep my immediate family informed of the many new, interesting, and quirky things unique to Qatar which are a part of our daily lives. By writing this blog I am also documenting my life here, something which I can reflect upon in my later years. So ahlan bikum! I do hope you enjoy what you read here. If you have any suggestions or topics you would like to see, please drop me a line.

Sugar Rush

The newest kid on the junk food block here is Krispy Kreme donuts. The franchise recently opened its first outlet in Doha at the Villagio mall. Here is the article pertaining to this newsworthy item in the local English newspaper, the Gulf Times.

Krispy Kreme is an American franchise, whose claim to fame is their hot, freshly made donuts. All stores have a glass enclosed, built in donut making equipment, so you can see your donut being made on the premises. The donuts are also made from a special secret recipe; hence they are much softer & lighter than the competitors.

The company had aggressively begun advertising weeks before the opening date. A week before they were set to open, K bought a box from work, courtesy of Krispy Kreme. Apparently every employee had received a box. Makes you wonder what their marketing budget was.

The opening date and time were Feb. 1st at 5 pm. The first 25 customers were to receive one dozen donuts free for a week for 1 year. People actually began lining up from 2 am. By 5 pm there was a huge mob. Sanity prevailed and we decided to pass on this great event. We eventually did purchase a box a few days later. Compared to the United States (where you can get a dozen for 6-7 dollars), they are extremely expensive here, 55 riyals for a box of a dozen original glazed donuts. This actually turns out to be a blessing in disguise; we won’t be buying them that often.

Meanwhile, the Krispy Kreme franchise is not doing well in the United States. New store openings are scarce, and its stock prices are plunging. You can, of course, blame Dr. Atkins for this.


The following are the nutritional facts for 1 Original Glazed Donut:

Serving size: 52 gm
Calories: 200
Calories from fat: 100
Total fat: 12 gm
% daily value: 18
Saturated fat: 6 gm
% daily value: 29
Trans fat: 0 gm
Cholesterol: 5 mg
% daily value: 1
Sodium: 95 mg
% daily value: 4
Carbohydrates: 22 gm
% daily value: 7
Dietary fiber: <1
% daily value: vitamin a=0; vitamin c=2; calcium=6; iron=4

(Facts courtesy of Krispy Kreme website: http://www.krispykreme.com/)

A Cure for Homesickness - Part 1

This entry is the first on an ongoing series I plan to write on how we try to cope with recurring bouts of homesickness. Though life here flows at an unhurried and peaceful pace (for which I am unceasingly grateful), we periodically go through these brief spells. Often in these cases I find that food not only brings joy and comfort, it also, if only for a brief period of time, transports one to a place deep in our hearts and minds.

I made tacos a few weeks ago, something we all once used to enjoy but rarely bothered to make at home. The origin of the taco is from Mexico, and it can be best described as the most celebrated and beloved of all Mexican street food. The best place to buy a taco in the United States is at a Taqueria, which are small restaurants that serve informal and authentic Mexican food. But no matter how tempting they were, we never ventured into them due to the fact that traditional Mexican cuisine uses a lot of pork and it’s by products. Therefore we mainly patronized local westernized chains.

A taco is simply a filled flat bread, called a tortilla. It can be made out of wheat flour or corn, the latter being more popular in the United States. It is a Spanish word and means “light snack”. In Mexico it is mainly a popular early morning or late evening treat, since the heavy meal of the day is eaten in the afternoon. It all started many years ago when farmer’s wives would bring their husbands their mid-day meals out into the fields. For practical purposes they would wrap the day’s main dish in the tortillas, thus alleviating the use of cutlery. Urbanization carried this to the cities where it has gained the status it holds today.

Due to the large Mexican immigrant population, the taco has also gained much popularity in North America as well. In the states which border Mexico and therefore have a much larger Hispanic community, it is widely preferred over the common hamburger. It is also sometimes folded and deep fried to give it a crunchy texture, though this is mainly an American invention. Most common fillings are grilled chopped beef, ground beef or grilled chicken. Toppings include but are not limited to, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, chopped tomatoes, onions, cilantro, sliced olives, sour cream, limes wedges (to squeeze on top) and a variety of both spicy and mild sauces called salsa. Some popular types of salsas are salsa fresca (fresh salsa), salsa verde (green salsa made with tomatillo's), salsa roja (red salsa made with dried chilies) and guacamole (the popular avocado dip). Hence, one can customize their taco according to taste.

I had used a boxed taco dinner kit (won't win any points on Iron Chef!), which contained the ubiquitous folded and fried corn tortillas, seasoning for the ground beef and a packet of salsa. The results were fine, though I personally prefer tacos made out of soft tortillas and grilled beef. But, it certainly did what I had hoped it would do, delight the children and make us blissfully nostalgic.

So the old proverb and cliché is true; “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy”. And so we all await patiently for the arrival of summer, when we can go back for an all too brief visit to the country…

The following is a recipe for salsa fresca (fresh sauce), also known as salsa cruda (raw sauce) or pico de gallo (rooster's beak).


Salsa Fresca

Ingredients:

2 large tomatoes, finely diced
1 large onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 small green chili, seeded and finely diced (hotness of chili can be decided according to taste)
Juice of 1 lime
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Can be used as an accompaniment for a variety of meat & seafood. Enjoy!

The Big Chill

Winter had eluded us, until now. It typically begins to rain and the weather tends to cool off by early December. Yet by the end of the year it was still mild and dry. However, cold temperatures are now here with full force. The thermostat is hovering around 50 F /10 C during the days and dips to 43/7 at night, which is considerably cold for Doha. To top it off, the past few days it had also began to rain, bringing with it as expected much chaos and confusion. We have witnessed a profusion of accidents, several more than the average one accident a week I usually see. Since there are no rain gutters, huge muddy puddles abound everywhere, some as big as mini lakes in which our cars slosh about, giving them a mud bath. So now our cars are splattered and crusted with mud. Needless to say, no point in getting them washed while it is raining, but the lines at the car wash will be maddeningly long and frustrating during a respite from the rain. Patience here is truly a virtue.

There has been a lull in the rain for the past few days, but the temperatures are still quite low. There is no central heating system here (no central air conditioning in most homes for that matter), so we are relying on sweaters, socks and most importantly, space heaters to keep us warm. Our home is very open with high ceilings; therefore keeping it warm is quite an ordeal. In the main living room where we generally spend most of our time, we have 2 large heaters on at all times. Taking last year’s example of all heaters being sold out in the entire city at the onset of winter, this year we had stockpiled them when we first saw them, way back in October. Storing up on items is not an uncommon phenomenon in this country. Many items, both perishable and non perishable, run out fairly quickly so people tend to hoard things when they see them. I will write more about these shortages in later postings as well, but the latest item that I find to be missing from all grocery stores which I have visited is Philadelphia brand cream cheese. I had wanted to make cheesecake a few days ago, but my plans must be put on the back burner, so to speak, until I can locate it.

We have also caved in and bought a clothes dryer. We never thought we would need one since during the warm/hot months (which of course are most of the year) clothes tend to dry on drying racks very quickly, sometimes in a matter of a few hours. But these days they stay damp for several days, and often start to give off a horrible musty odor. The kids are happy though, now they don’t have to wear ‘crunchy’ clothes. Imagine the joy an appliance can bring!

But alas, we will only enjoy this cool weather for a short time. It will start to turn warmer in a few weeks, and by the end of March or early April it will become hot. By end of April it will become unbearably hot, so much so, that we only go out when it is absolutely necessary. We will try to take advantage of this pleasant weather as much as we can, then get ready for another 6-7 months of self imposed hibernation.

Selamat Tahun Baru

Which means Happy New Year in the Malay language. We recently returned from a hectic 8 day trip to Malaysia, and are now recovering from various bouts of illnesses, and slowly yet reluctantly adjusting to our regular schedules. Though we had left Qatar many times, these trips were mainly for visiting family members. This was our first ‘real’ vacation. One of the reasons we had moved here was to be able to travel extensively. Here get much more holidays and breaks and many of the destinations we want to visit are close by. Of course we can also now afford to travel more frequently as well.

Malaysia has something to offer for everyone, adults and children alike. Theme parks, world class shopping (both designer goods and ‘knock offs’), beach and mountain resorts, tea plantations, even casino’s. Add to this the lush tropical greenery, warm hospitability of its people and some of the best food in the world. In the short 50 years since it regained its independence (it was also once a British colony), it has evolved itself from mainly a palm and rubber growing former colony into a world class economy, rivaling that many developed nations. It is also considered one of the leading tourist destinations in Asia.

Though we had first thought of going to Penang and other cities, Kuala Lumpur and its vicinities had enough activities to keep us busy for the duration of our trip. We did however make a few day trips to nearby destinations, such as the Genting Highlands and Malacca. Now back home, we are recovering from our trip, at our own pace.