Desert Trip!

1 Reply

crazy.jpgI got to take a trip to the desert this past weekend! It was so great. Going over the sand dunes is quite an exhilarating experience.  We didn’t quite get as crazy as the guy in the picture here, but we had some good fun.  My friend, Dave, drove us in the caravan of about 7 cars.  We went through the desert to a beach on the inland sea.  Just across the water from the beach, you could see Saudi Arabia.  It was very relaxing to hang out at the beach for several hours.  Go here to see my pics.

I think I’m going again this Friday with some other friends.  I’ll be taking my new Xterra out this time to see how it handles it.  I’m pretty pumped!

Comments are Working Again!

Leave a reply

Hey everyone! Thanks to all of you that have left comments on my recent posts. It turns out that they were actually being submitted, but they were being held for me to moderate them before they posted to the site. The weird thing is that it wasn’t telling me I had comments awaiting moderation. It should be all fixed now, so let me know if you notice anything weird.

By the way, that’s a 2008 Nissan Xterra I’m driving. I gotta thank Clint for convincing me to buy it. I am very happy with my purchase.

What I've Done This Week

1 Reply

I’ve been really busy this week with a really fun event that I’ve been going to after work.  I’m a huge tennis fan, and Doha is hosting the Qatar Total Open, which is a Tier 1 women’s tennis event.  I’ve been able to see people like Ana Ivanovic, Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams play.  I have tons of pics up here.

I also had a friend and his roommate visit this weekend.  He’s a good friend from A&M that I haven’t seen in about four years, so it was really good to be able to hang out again.

Alive and Well!

3 Replies

Sorry I haven’t written yet.  Life in a new country is crazy, but it’s going great.  I just uploaded some pictures that you can see here.

I hope to write a little very soon to post on here.  I’m still trying to get settled in, and I’m getting there step by step.  I had to visit the doctor earlier this week, because I was really dizzy for a couple of days.  It turns out that I had ear infections in both ears.  The hospital was really nice, and I got some medicine that helped a ton.

Work is extremely busy, but I love it.  I really love the people I work with.  Check this out.  My team of 7 people is represented by 7 different countries:  Germany, India, Turkey, Syria, Palestine, and the US.  That’s right, I’m the only American.  What an awesome experience!  The team dynamic is nothing like I’ve ever experienced.  The cultural differences are interesting and fun, and everyone is very helpful.  I really do love it.

More to come!

I'm Here!

4 Replies

I just wanted to write a quick update.  I am safely in my new apartment in Doha!  I love it.  It’s way too much for me, but what can you do?  I had a great flight and actually feel really rested this morning.  I’ll write more later.

I'll Fly Away

1 Reply

Dwight with PassportWell, it’s finally here! All of my paperwork is in, and my flight reservation is confirmed. I fly out of DFW airport on Friday afternoon to start my journey of moving to Qatar.

This is coming on the end of an extended holiday break with my family. I was originally supposed to leave on January 7, but my permanent visa was delayed and I couldn’t leave before that came through. Everything worked out perfectly, because my grandma that was visiting us for Christmas got sick with pneumonia and ended up being in the hospital for 10 days. The delay with my visa allowed me to spend time with her in the hospital, and I also got to help my parents do stuff around the house. My grandma is much better now, and will be staying with my parents for a few more days.

I’m really excited about my upcoming move. This is something I’ve been looking forward to for so long, and I can’t believe it’s finally here. I’m a little nervous as well, because it’s going to be a very different environment and I only have ideas here and there of what to expect. Also, I’m a little sad to be moving so far from my family. Thank God for modern technology that will allow us to keep in touch! My parents are already planning a trip to come visit me in Doha some time in the fall.

I’d appreciate prayers for me and my family during this time of transition. Physical safety for me in my travels and emotional comfort for us all will be very important for us. Thanks!

Where are the Scissors?

4 Replies

redtape.jpgWell, I am just about ready to leave College Station en route to my next stage in life. It’s pretty weird, and I don’t think it has completely sunk in yet.

The moving company came yesterday and packed up the personal items that will be shipped to Doha, so there’s not a lot left in my apartment now. I have some cleaning and vacuuming to finish tomorrow night, and then it’s ready for me to leave to the next tenant! It’s been a real cleansing process as I’ve gone through everything to decide what I want to ship to Doha, what I want to take home with me, and what is just junk that I’ve been keeping for some reason over the years. What a pack rat!

I head out Friday afternoon to stay with my family through the holidays and until my visa gets processed. Yep, that’s right. My visa is still processing, so they can’t finalize my flight to Doha until that’s done. The kicker is that TAMUQ is closed for their semester break, and I won’t hear anything about my visa until at least January 2, 2008. Of course, my mom’s not exactly sad about the chance that I’ll have to stay with them longer than I originally thought. I think her response was, “Goodie, goodie, goodie!” 🙂

Other than the visa situation, everything has been going very smoothly. That’s been a real blessing, because I haven’t been stressed about any of it. I’m really looking forward to the time that I’ll get to spend with my family over the next few weeks. I am very close to them, and it will be tough to be so far away. Praise God for modern technology! Thanks to things like Skype, I’ll be able to stay in good communication with my family and friends back home.

I’m still working on the blog and figuring out the best way I want to go about it all. If you get an email update for this post and don’t want it, let me know. If you’re reading this on my page or through some other means and you want to receive email updates, let me know.

Eight is Enough

1 Reply

s_airplane8.jpgWell, it’s official. After eight years in College Station, I am finally moving on to more exciting parts of the world! I have accepted a job offer at Texas A&M University in Doha, Qatar. I’m very excited about the move, and I’m also feeling kind of overwhelmed with the amount of stuff I have to do before I go.

I will be starting over there the first week of January, so I’ll be flying out very soon after I have Christmas with my family. Thanks to everyone for all of the prayers and encouragement. I have a long road ahead, but it’s going to be so exciting!

I’m trying to figure out the best way to keep everyone updated about my preparation and then time in Doha. If you’d like to get automatic updates when I post on my blog, be sure to subscribe via the sidebar on the main page.

Doha Wrap-up

3 Replies

PB060038.JPG Well, my recruitment/interview trip to Doha, Qatar is sadly over. It was a very packed few days that would have been a challenge even without the jet lag. It was mentally and physically exhausting, but it was a great experience. I experienced business class air travel for the first time, and it’ll be hard to ever go back! Hopefully, I’ll be able to recount everything and give you a good idea about the overall adventure. I had tons of fun, and I would love to go back.  Don’t forget to check out the pictures on the photos page.

Obviously, this is a long post. Oh, and to answer the question everyone asks me, I should be hearing from them some time this week about their decision 🙂

Continue reading →