Ramadan Kareem

The Christmas/ Fourth of July/ Thanksgiving/ Halloween of the Middle East!

But seriously. 

When it was coming close everyone started chattering about it and I didn't know why it was such a big deal. I mean I have lived in a world where it existed my whole life and it never had much of an impact. BUT OH MAN. Living in a Muslim country when Ramadan hits is a WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY. 

Let me start with explaining exactly how Ramadan begins because unlike American holidays, this one has no true start date...until that date has come. What happens is a religious leader (not sure exactly who) goes into a mosque (not exactly sure which one) and if he sees the moon then Ramadan begins, if not then the world waits another day. Kind of like the groundhog seeing his shadow? Too much of a stretch? Okay well yeah you get the point. 

So when it begins the first huge thing that happens is that all Muslim people go into a daytime fast. Basically while the sun is up, they fast and when the sun goes down they feast. The impact that this has on everyone else is that literally no one else in the country is allowed to be seen eating or drinking. 

This is a rule because it would be tempting for the Muslim people to want to eat if they see others doing it but I guess out of sight out of mind? 

Seriously though, when I say you can't eat or drink I mean you literally cannot eat or drink ANYTHING. You literally can't even drink a sip of water while driving in your car! It is THAT strict!! Even at work you must not eat where you can be seen (or smelt!). In many offices, people must only eat or drink in private break rooms but as for me and my office, well we just had a filing closet. A literal filing closet. So I am not even kidding, the tea boys moved a desk into it and that is where everyone had to eat lunch (and breakfast and drink water) for the entire month!

Don't believe me??? 

BAM. 

Three of my co workers DRINKING COFFEE IN A CLOSET. 

I know it sounds like a terrible thing but because of the sensitivity to the Muslim people, the work hours are actually cut short too. So instead of working 8 hours days, we just work six! FOR THE WHOLE MONTH! I think I can trade in eating in public for working short workdays. Yep, sounds like a good trade to me. Lol 

So okay you are not eating in public, you are working shorter hours then what happens when the sun goes down? THE PARTY BEGINS! 

Muslim people break their fast with a huge meal called an Iftar. Usually, they start by eating some dates and then move into a full out feast, usually buffet style with a desert at the end. Because of this, basically every restaurant during the month of Ramadan serves an Iftar meal. Many of them ONLY serve an Iftar for dinner during the month (oh I forgot to mention that until the Iftar, the restaurants shops etc are all CLOSED so literally during the day the whole city kind of shuts down). Even five star top of the line restaurants (which this city is full of) will only serve an Iftar meal during this month. Eating out gets pretty expensive when the only meal you can buy costs around 250 riyal or $70! 

In America, many companies will throw big Christmas parties or Christmas dinners for their employees during December but here in Qatar, they throw big Iftars! I was so excited because it meant I would get to partake in the special meal and see what it was all about. (Without breaking the bank no less!)

The first one we went to was for Zach's job, held at the Marriot Hotel. 

Out front there were to REAL LIVE CAMELS. 

We acted like total tourists and got photos. 

We then went inside and saw a falcon trainer??! 

You know I was all over that

Next we went into this huge ballroom where the Iftar was being held. 

The tables were pre-set with dates and the walls were LINED with all kinds of food, many that I had never seen/tasted before lol. 

It is traditional for these meals to be decorated with a Arabic designs and actually to be held inside of tents. Most hotels actually set up tents for the guests to eat in but our ballroom was so big that they just had a smaller version outside more for show. 

We like your effort Mariott! Haha

Two days later we went to the Iftar for my work. Which as I will explain in a later post is with the same company as Zach-- only since I am working on a different project it was a whole different dinner. 

Except it was at the same hotel. 

Had the same food. 

The same week. 

Just two night later.....

Lol 

But this time, we were BRAVE! 

My Z worked up the guts to hold the falcon lol. 

One nice thing is that we were in a different ballroom and you can see the dates right here on the table.

Speaking of, I never really tried dates before but since moving here they are literally one of my favorite foods.  Like I LOVE dates. And apparently they are much different in the Middle East than anywhere else? Man will I miss them when we move... ( one day!) 

Zach worked up the courage to hold the falcon and I worked up the courage to take food photos! :)

Fortunately all of the food was labelled...unfortunately names of the majority of these foods didn't help a bit in identifying them for me lol

Has anyone ever even seen this dessert before? It is a cheese based dish. 

Usually Iftars last from about 6:30 to 9 or 10 o'clock 

After, Muslim people usually rest and relax then at about 11 they have their second meal called a Suhur. Next comes a bit more resting then at about 3 or 4 in the morning they have their third and final meal.  Phew! That is a lot of food! 

We did not part take in the two final meals. The Iftar held me over until about 12 the next day on its own! 

Hehe how could we resist another camel photo? :) 

What you don't see is the moment when Zach, full dress clothes and all, climbed on top of the poor guy! You'll have to check out my Instagram to see the video ;) 

As many of your know, I love to cook so we didn't go to nearly as many Iftars as most people, but we did go to one more for our friend Vanessa's birthday. 

She chose to go to a restaurant called Eatopia. It was extra special because this particular restaurant doesn't serve buffet style EVER. It is a once a year sort of thing for them because normally they have many different areas set up, each with a different style of food and you go around and pay per dish from whichever area you choose. 

Same style but all included during Iftar. Whoop! 

They had everything from sushi...

To bruschetta 

To made to order pastas 

Even this delicous Qatari version of a quesadilla! 

Not to mention dessert!

And here was our group--yay :) 

P.s. Countries represented in this group of people include Scotland, Russia, India, China, AMERICA and others that I am forgetting (sorry!) 

Happy Birthday Vanessa (in the blue blazer). 

Midway through Ramadan another special night happens where the children all go door to door (much like Halloween) and ask for treats from their neighbors. Now I am pretty sure that they do not dress up and instead of receiving loads of chocolate, they receive more healthy treats. 

At my work, a few "goodie bags" were delivered to celebrate. 

Clearly their bags are much smaller than the pillow case I toted around as a kid.  Lol

Inside were some nuts...and weird little rice cracker things???? Needless to say, I didn't much dig into the "treat" bag. 

Finally, when the holy month of Ramadan ends, the party gets EVEN BIGGER (is that even possible)?!

It is called "Eid" and the national holiday lasts for three days ( yes you get 3+ days off work). (As if working only 6 hours a day wasn't a treat enough?!). 

During this time it is kind of like Christmas Day in America where families gather together to celebrate. 

What I was not expecting was for the ENITRE CITY to celebrate. 

Even the decorations at the mall were like what malls do in America only Ramadan themed. 

They were even decorated with "Christmas lights"

And EVEYRTHING is branded 

Zach and I happened to go by the mall he first night of Eid and OMG. IT WAS FULL TO THE MAX!!!!!!

During this time, the malls actually put on shows all throughout the day (for three straight days!) and our mall was putting on Peter Pan when we arrived. 

This is IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MALL PEOPLE. 

The show was complete with silk dancers and everything!!!! 

Packed! The mall garage meter (that shows how many available parking spots are left) that usually holds about 1,500 cars, WAS FULL. These roads are normally fairly clear and quiet but during Eid are COMPLETELY GRIDLOCKED! 

THEN!!

Each night there was a huge fireworks show!!!! 

Seriously 

Christmas, Fourth of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving all in one! 

It was certainly something to experience! 

We had a blast, we learned a lot and in exactly 70 days the "Second Eid" comes and the whole country celebrates and gets off work for three days again! I tell you what, it is not a bad life over here in Qatar. Not a bad life at all! 

Shokran and Gig Em,

Bailey 

Starbucks!

I am happy about this post not only because the Arabian Starbucks kicks American Starbucks butt but also because it means I had a really great excuse to return to it!

I will be the first one to say that I love Starbucks. When they built one on campus at Texas A&M my senior year I literally altered my diet and had sweet potatoes for dinner most nights in order to squeeze as many drinks as possible into my dining dollar budget. It was a problem. 

I also want to dedicate this post to my former boss Chris Baxter -- she may be the first (and only) woman that I have met that loves Starbucks even more than I do. PLUS I miss her so Chris, this is for you!! 😘 

Starbucks in Doha are nearly as easy to come by as they are in Seatle. This makes it no surprise that there are TWO in City Center Mall, one of which Zach and I visited today. 

Here is Starbucks written in Arabic. 

Surprisingly though, over the main entrance it is written in English. 

& yes that is a shopping cart out front, likely from Carrefour. This is very common! Shopping carts are literally everywhere in this city! Consumerism at its best lol

So when you walk in the look is just the same as a typical American Starbucks, even the music is the same!

The difference that you notice almost immediately though is that these things are HUGE!

Especially in comparison to American Starbucks where there are only one or two good comfy chairs and they are ALWAYS taken. 

Here, you never have any trouble finding a spot. 

It just goes on...

And on...

And ON!!

Notice too the view we have here-- it is second floor so you get to see right down the streets of downtown! Especially beautiful lit up at night like it was for us tonight! 

When it comes to the drinks themselves, they do not disappoint. Friends of mine (particularly a friend who loves to travel around the world and try all types of coffee and ONLY drinks it black (yes you meet some pretty cool travelers here!)) say that the beans here are actually the exact same as the ones used in the states. This may sound like no big deal but what you find is that many chains abroad, Dunkin Donuts for example, use different ingredients depending on the region. Here, that is just not a concern! 

You can even find your perfect overpriced mug! 

Pastries though I would say are very different than the states. Back home in (at least in the Starbucks that I visited) the trend was moving towards little snack boxes, sandwiches and weird chocolate covered marshmallows and stuff on sticks...not here.

What you find here is much more decadent. 

Fresh baked cakes and pies of all varieties are what you will find here! This is a very common thing to see at coffee shops in Doha-- and I am not complaining! 

This person didn't even order a drink-- just came for the tiramisu! 

As for Zach and I -- you know we got that coffee. 😉

BUT the best part is -- they serve it up in real mugs for you!!!!! Ahhhhh it is the best! Especially when you are splitting it with your boo and get a giant venti mug! 

Heaven! 

We did cheat a bit though and I ran across to another coffee shop and snagged a kronut to go with our coffee. 

Topped with Nutella. Hello YUM! 

This international Starbucks gets two big thumbs up from me! 

Not only this one, but all of the Starbucks in Doha! They all have these huge floor plans and real mugs!

Not to mention great service! Haha

Aslair and Lito. Lovin that latte life. 

Thanks & Gig 'Em! 

Bailey 

Fact or Fiction: DOHA

As soon as Zach and I found out that we could potentially move to Qatar we were all "OH HECK YES!" Which was immediately followed by "What in the heck is Qatar?" Lol 

Before Zach had even hung up the phone I was googling "Where is cutter?" and luckily google understood what I meant. 

I have to admit though that when the pin dropped in the Middle East, a wave of fear come over me. Of course we wanted to travel but why would anyone want to go somewhere so dangerous?? I thought. This was followed many many other questions like would we need to learn Arabic in order to live there? Would I have to wear a big cape to leave the house? Or most importantly does this mean that I have to give up Wine Wednesday?? 

 Luckily many of these rumors of the Middle East grew far exaggerated as they crossed the ocean and some of them are straight up false. So I am here to clear the air with a Doha version of True or False. 

1. QATAR IS DANGEROUS!

Car bombs, war in the streets, American stalkers-- you name it, I thought it. 

This rumor actually turned out to be completely and totally FALSE! 

In fact, Qatar is actually rated within the top ten SAFEST countries in the ENTIRE world!!!!! ( Yes even safer ( by quite a bit in fact) than America!).  

This fact is not only written but you can really feel it when you are here. As many of you know, Zach and I live right in the middle of the city and literally, the streets outside throughout the day and even the night are silent. There are hardly any cars in the streets much less sirens, people chattering and music playing like we had in Houston. Now don't get me wrong, there is traffic and there are people walking about but really night life is not a big thing here. It is very much a family oriented city with parks almost everywhere you go covered with families having picnics and parents sliding down slides holding onto their little ones. 

Even so, we are always aware when going out and heir on the side of caution regardless. 

2. YOU MUST LEARN ARABIC! 

I am quite happy to tell you that this one is also FALSE! 

Although Arabic is the native language, literally everyone here is bilingual. Which makes me feel super dumb everyday for only being fluent in English. Most people here actually speak three or more languages which is the coolest thing ever. But again, very humbling. On top of that, all of the signs, menus, and even packaging for products are translated into both English and Arabic. I don't know about the rest of the Middle East but Doha has got this one on lock! 

My best attempt at writing my name in Arabic. ^^

Beyond the acceptance of English people even go as far as to compliment Zach and I on our pronunciation of English. We so don't deserve to be treated so graciously in a country where we are foreigners and don't speak the native language. This acceptance definitely makes me rethink those thoughts I had about Spanish in the US... 😁

3. DO WOMEN MUST WEAR BURKAS! 

I want to start this one by defining a Burka and the different versions of covering up in this way. It is basically a long loose garmet covering the entire body, usually in solid black, worn by Muslim women in public. Before coming to Doha, part of me feared that I would have to wear one and the other part of me thought it was all old school and no one really wore these anymore. I was wrong on both accounts. I do not in fact need to wear a burka in public so this one is FALSE but they are extremely common here. 

The difference in how they are worn and to what extent relate back to each women's preferences and her religious beliefs. 

Some women just wear hijabs which are head-wraps and pair them loose fitting clothing. 

These are often seen in bright colors matched with just as bold patterns-- I tend to like the more subtle look pictured below. 

A step further than this is to wear the full burka but add a little flair to it. This is probably the most popular and allows the women to be conservative but still show some of their own taste. I have seen everything from intricate embroidery to full out polka dot burkas. Another important note here are the accessories. Since the women are limited in how they can show their personal taste and style, it is normal to see extremely expensive and bold accessories like this handbag and sunglasses paired with the burkas. 

Other women who go a step further stick with the all black and even cover their face with just two eye holes punched out. 

While still other women go as far as to literally cover their entire bodies with a veil over their face and gloves on their hands. 

Hehe okay just kidding-- no snap back and Nike swish included.  These women really do take their garmets seriously and restrain from using any detailing in their clothing. 

Now although these burkas look simple, they are extremely intricately made and are very expensive to buy. The way the fabric is cut is almost a science with a goal of having it literally flow from the body. It is quite beautiful to see the garmet flow when these women walk about. A few months ago I wanted to try the things out for myself and went to a shop with a friend to try one on.  The one I tried was right at  about $4,500 dollars!! 

Luckily for women ( like me ) who are not Muslim or do not have this kind of dress within their religious beliefs, it is not at all required that they wear this at all. It is actually much more common to see women in "normal" clothing than in a burka or hijab. The unwritten rule of thumb is just to cover the knees and shoulders. Surprisingly, these standards are even expected of men. 

ALTHOUGH this rule of thumb varies depending on which part of town you are in and where you are going; for example, if you are going to a museum, the dress is more conservative but if you are going to a patio lunch at the Pearl you can dress with much less caution. 

4. ALCOHOL AND PORK ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED!

This one just depends. Due to Qatar being a Muslim country, generally these two items are banned. How it works is that pork and alcoholare sold just outside of the city and under a certain license.  One must obtain the license, travel out to the alcohol and pork store and then only consume these foods in their homes (as long as your home or apartment allows such consumption). The one other way to get alcohol is at a hotel-- somehow most hotels have alcohol permits and call sell all of the martinis that could be found at any other bar around the world. Although we do not have the alcohol license, this one has not been a big deal for us. The only thing that I don't know if I can ever get used to is the beef pepperoni-- pizza is just not the same! 

Although Qatar is more conservative as a whole than America, we have been pleasantly surprised at the level of acceptance that has been shown to us. It took a little time to get used to at the start, but this new culture has already started to become a way of life for us. 

Shokran & Gig 'Em, 

Bailey