WOW! I did just what I imagined I would do-struggle keeping up with this blog! I will just give a few highlights from the past 3 months! My roommates put me to shame with how diligently they update their blogs! I, on the other hand, am going to refer you to Lauren's blog to read about my Christmas Vacation in depth! :) thanks Lauren!
Norway
December:
The month of December went quickly as time just seemed to stay still in the "fall"-type weather. It was very difficult for me to get into the Christmas Spirit being in the desert, away from family and in a Muslim country. The four of us: Ashely, Kate, Lauren, and myself all thought some winter weather in Scandinavia would do the trick! Well wow! Did we get blasted with COLD weather, sites to see and some crazy traveling adventures. December 18th we left for Stockholm. Took a bus to Denmark. Spent Christmas there, met up with family, and then took a cruise from Copenhagen to Olso, Norway. We spent a few cold days in Norway and then traveled back home via Stockholm, Turkey, UAE and then finally DOHA! For me, the highlights were:
- Seeing my Aunt Elizabeth and cousin Paulina for a week. They traveled with us in Gotenburg, Copenhagen, and Olso.
- Meeting a friend, Amy, in Oslo and other roommate, Summer, in Copenhagen
- Enjoying the scenic winter sites with a warm cup of Hot Chocolate in hand
- Seeing Christmas lights on display in Copenhagen and Stockholm
- Going to Midnight Mass at the Cathedral in Copenhagen
- Viewing many museums but especially the Nobel Peace Museum in Oslo, Norway
- Snowboarding for the first time ever and did it in Norway!!
- Seeing the SUNSET while on the slopes in Norway!
The traveling adventures/mishaps kept us on our feet and certainly taught us a lesson or two about being in a foreign country, about each other, and about ourselves. It was great to be "home" and settled in Doha when all was said and done!
January:
New Years was spent in Dubai. Fireworks on the beach for New Years was a great way to ring in 2010! It pains me to say that only Lauren and I were able to go. We had flight complications and other issues with getting Ashley and Kate on the flight. This was all after a long 2 weeks of traveling in Scandinavia. So really we were at our whits end of mishaps in transportation! Still, the 28 hours that Lauren and I had in Dubai were a fantastic time! We met some of Kate's fun friends and saw just a few sites of a larger Arab city, Dubai. This just made us want to go back and spend more time there.
A few other highlights in January took place during some weekend fun in Doha. We have to be creative to find new things to do here! Too easily we get into the same old routine of the work week and the weekend. To mix it up, we had Lauren's 25th birthday to celebrate! Then, my roommates and I enjoyed showing some fellow American visitors, Brady and his mom, around Doha. Brady is applying for a job with Qatar Airlines and wanted to check the city out for a weekend. We enjoyed showing him the sites of Doha. The best part was the BBQ on the beach with food, volleyball, music, and good people! Finally, we had an enjoyable time singing Karaoke at the apartment of another teacher. He works at the American School of Doha and gathers a large crowd of American workers to his apartment. We blasted out a variety of songs from Disney tunes to Lady Gaga!
Looking at the cute town of Stockholm
December:
The month of December went quickly as time just seemed to stay still in the "fall"-type weather. It was very difficult for me to get into the Christmas Spirit being in the desert, away from family and in a Muslim country. The four of us: Ashely, Kate, Lauren, and myself all thought some winter weather in Scandinavia would do the trick! Well wow! Did we get blasted with COLD weather, sites to see and some crazy traveling adventures. December 18th we left for Stockholm. Took a bus to Denmark. Spent Christmas there, met up with family, and then took a cruise from Copenhagen to Olso, Norway. We spent a few cold days in Norway and then traveled back home via Stockholm, Turkey, UAE and then finally DOHA! For me, the highlights were:
- Seeing my Aunt Elizabeth and cousin Paulina for a week. They traveled with us in Gotenburg, Copenhagen, and Olso.
- Meeting a friend, Amy, in Oslo and other roommate, Summer, in Copenhagen
- Enjoying the scenic winter sites with a warm cup of Hot Chocolate in hand
- Seeing Christmas lights on display in Copenhagen and Stockholm
- Going to Midnight Mass at the Cathedral in Copenhagen
- Viewing many museums but especially the Nobel Peace Museum in Oslo, Norway
- Snowboarding for the first time ever and did it in Norway!!
- Seeing the SUNSET while on the slopes in Norway!
The traveling adventures/mishaps kept us on our feet and certainly taught us a lesson or two about being in a foreign country, about each other, and about ourselves. It was great to be "home" and settled in Doha when all was said and done!
January:
New Years was spent in Dubai. Fireworks on the beach for New Years was a great way to ring in 2010! It pains me to say that only Lauren and I were able to go. We had flight complications and other issues with getting Ashley and Kate on the flight. This was all after a long 2 weeks of traveling in Scandinavia. So really we were at our whits end of mishaps in transportation! Still, the 28 hours that Lauren and I had in Dubai were a fantastic time! We met some of Kate's fun friends and saw just a few sites of a larger Arab city, Dubai. This just made us want to go back and spend more time there.
New Year's in Dubai with Mahdi and Jenny
A few other highlights in January took place during some weekend fun in Doha. We have to be creative to find new things to do here! Too easily we get into the same old routine of the work week and the weekend. To mix it up, we had Lauren's 25th birthday to celebrate! Then, my roommates and I enjoyed showing some fellow American visitors, Brady and his mom, around Doha. Brady is applying for a job with Qatar Airlines and wanted to check the city out for a weekend. We enjoyed showing him the sites of Doha. The best part was the BBQ on the beach with food, volleyball, music, and good people! Finally, we had an enjoyable time singing Karaoke at the apartment of another teacher. He works at the American School of Doha and gathers a large crowd of American workers to his apartment. We blasted out a variety of songs from Disney tunes to Lady Gaga!
BBQ in Doha
No comments:
Post a Comment