"Eid Mubarak"

All of that praying to Allah paid off tonight! The moon was seen! This is a bonus day for us as the sighting came a day earlier than predicted!

It was just like a snow day too! Waiting and waiting for that call! Rumors and false hope. There was a knock at the door at 7:45 and I laughed and told Michael that I was sure it was my students...and it was. "DO WE HAVE SCHOOL? DO WE HAVE SCHOOL?" I am happy to report...an hour later...NO SCHOOL!

Snow Day! In Doha?

We are all on pins and needles waiting for Eid al-Fitr, marks the end of Ramadan, to begin. Eid is Arabic for festivities and Fitr means to break fast! Eid is a three day period filled with gift giving and food (remember Muslims around the world have been fasting for the past month). The timing of Ramadan, as well as Eid, is dependent on the sightings of the moon. So while we are scheduled to be off of school Wednesday-Sunday, if the moon is sighted early, we will get an extra day! Think of it as a snow day in the desert! lol The Imam, Muslim religious leader, will proclaim the sighting of the moon as soon as it is seen.











So Michael and I were walking around the compound last night and I said, "look Halloween decorations!" As we got closer, I realized...they were RAMADAN DECORATIONS!!! Had to share!

Another Step Closer!

The furniture arrived today! It really is an unbelievable moment in Doha when they say they are going to deliver something and they actually show up! Sure enough, the baby's furniture arrived right on schedule! Lucky for us, since we spent a fortune on the furniture they even put it together! Thank goodness too...within about one hour everything was put in order and the decorating phase was ready to begin. (We don't waste any time here!)
















For some unknown reason during Ramadan, the locals all must redecorate their villas. So finding a curtain rod was no small task. Not to mention the stores are only open until 2 and then not again until 8 and that is cutting into my bedtime, so finding curtain rods was a bit of a nightmare. However, last night INSHALLAH arrived for us and "God Willing" we found curtain rods just in time. (Heaven forbid the baby's room NOT have curtains up instantly;-))


























So between Michael, Gloria (I will elaborate more in a sec) and myself, little by little, windows were cleaned, carpets were vacuumed and decorating was in full swing! While the room is far from being done, it is coming along and knowing us, it will be done by tomorrow! lol











Pictured with Michael hanging drapes is Gloria, the newest addition to our family. Gloria is a live-in maid and has been with us for just about a month. She was working for another family in our compound when they had to leave and move to Dubai. Gloria has family in Doha and wanted to stay. To make a long story short, we hired her to work for us. I was at bunco this week and had to laugh when one of my neighbors said she couldn't believe we hired her since I wouldn't even let anyone clean our house! ;-) However, I must tell you that we are quickly getting used to having her. I will talk more about her later as I know having a live-in maid is not something that most of us are accustomed to.











As the furniture was being delivered, Gloria asked me if they were putting together a crib. When I told her yes, she pointed to the cradle and said but I thought that was the crib. I smiled and said well the baby will sleep in there for a few months and then will moved into the other crib. Her response: "Madame Gina...this is a spoiled baby." I just started laughing looking around at the heaps of baby stuff and said, "really, what was your first indication?"

The Tree Stands Alone!

Many have asked and we are happy to report that our house in Houston weathered Hurricane Ike like a champ! We weren't really concerned to be quite honest. However it was like all of a sudden, Michael and I realized that we had a tree that has needed to come down and of course due to procrastination, hasn't. We were on pins and needles waiting to find out if the tree made it. I am quite certain our neighbor was sweating it as well. We heard reports that our neighborhood lost about 25% of the trees. Luckily...our sad looking pine was not one of them. This tree sits very close to the house and it would have been a disaster for it to have fallen. Thanks to Bree we now have visual proof that the tree is still standing!
Many of you have asked about Michael's family and they survived as well. They were without power for some time, but really they had minimal damage as well.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who did in fact lose so much.

Baby Macey

Macey is really enjoying all of HER new toys!!!

"Ramadan Kareem"

Yesterday was the start of the holy month of Ramadan! This is a very important time for Muslims around the world.

According to the US Embassy:

• Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. As such, it is illegal in Qatar to eat, drink (even water), or smoke in public during fasting hours, i.e., approximately 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Approximate times for sunrise and sunset will be announced in local newspapers. If Muslims are present in the work place, they expect non-Muslims to respect their fasting and not eat, drink, or smoke in front of them, even in motor vehicles, or to prepare food that they can smell or see. As it is illegal to serve food or drink during fasting hours, restaurants will be closed during daylight hours, with the exception of a few hotel restaurants that serve non-Muslims only. Restaurants will begin serving food at sundown, but expect them to be crowded, especially during Iftar, the first meal immediately after sunset. If you are in a hotel, and they do not serve a meal at a time you require, you will find that room service is normally available or the dining room will have an isolated area where non-Muslims are served.

• While modest dress and respectful behavior between the sexes (even between married couples) are normal social customs in Qatar, this is particularly so during Ramadan.
  

• If possible, please avoid driving in the hour immediately before sunset. One should be extra alert at this time, as many Muslims will be rushing to family member’s or friend’s home or a restaurant to break their fast. Many accidents occur at this time, some very serious.

• Shops and markets are open in the morning, often closed in the afternoon, but open again for a few hours after sunset. Shops and stores will have extended hours into the late evening and early morning to accommodate Ramadan hours of operation.

Of course being pregnant makes me exempt from following these guidelines! ;-)