Weddings, Spring Break, and a New Car!

No, I am not getting married. I was invited to a Qatari wedding and oh, my, gosh! I don’t have a lot of fancy clothes (I wore a black skirt from Wal-Mart and a blouse) and boy was I underdressed. I looked presentable but not dressed at the level of the other ladies there. For those of you who are unfamiliar with weddings from this part of the world let me impart all of my wisdom to you (it won’t take too long). A wedding in Qatar is paid for by the groom and his family. EVERYTHING is paid for by the groom’s side. First a dowry is paid to the bride’s family (at least QR100,000 or about $28,000). Then the bride’s dress is handmade for at least QR20000 or about $5500. The groom gives his bride a gift, which is typically the jewelry (necklace, tiara, earrings, bracelet, rings, and whatever else can be bought), and he will also give her a present the morning after the wedding. The ballroom was set up with an elaborate stage with fabric and cushions and a couch, and it was amazing. The tables, I don’t know how many there were because I can’t count that high, were decorated with a tablecloth and a medium size centerpiece. The flower arrangements were not carnations, they were a variety of colors of roses and lilies. I was able to take some home and give them to my next door neighbor. The ‘thank you for coming gift’ from the bride was not mints, it was a bottle of perfume that had the name of the bride and groom on it. I don’t know the name of the perfume, the writing is all in Arabic. Ok, all that I am describing is just for the ladies reception. The men have their own parties (I call them man parties) of which I was not invited. The guess for the cost of the hall rental, stage, and tables was about QR240000, and that doesn’t include the servers, food, or anything else.

When I walked in to the ballroom, a lady had a hand-held metal detector and was checking for cameras. I couldn’t take any pictures, sorry. I walked in and realized that I had never seen the person who invited me without her coverings. She found me very quickly and was an excellent hostess. She introduced me to many of her family members and friends as well as explained what was happening during the reception. Right before the groom came to collect his new wife, my friend went to the restroom. All of a sudden I saw women covering up all over the ballroom. I figured the groom had arrived and then my friend came back and told everyone at our table to cover up the groom was there. There was dancing, not western dancing, which was interesting to watch.

Another thing that I realized from this is that I do actually need a pair of dress shoes. I had to wear my Chaco sandals, which wasn’t exactly appropriate. (These are the same sandals I wear kayaking.) Hopefully I will be able to go to the States this summer and can go to Payless for a cheap pair.

Spring break is here! I don’t actually have any days off but things are more relaxed and I am able to prepare for next week and catch up on other stuff. The professor that I’m doing research for came over the last 2 mornings to help set up his lab area. It was good to get out of the way so when summer hits I can start doing reactions.

Some day some I’ll have a new Subaru. (You were supposed to sing that portion.) Yes, I am buying a 2008 Subaru Forester, no, I am not having leather seats. Mom and Dad helped get the money to secure the loan from the states, and really I mean they ‘gave’ me the money to get the loan. Really, all I have done is call Mom and ask what needs to be done next. Mom and Dad should get all the credit for it. Thanks. I did have to decide which car to buy and get the account information for Mom. I was looking at a Nissan Altima but that was pretty expensive for a non-SUV. Then I went to the Subaru dealership and the Forester is cheaper, not to mention being my dream car. The coolest thing about the whole deal is that the car payments are less than my transportation allowance. Yes, this means I am getting a free car. It is kind of funny/ironic though, Mom did all the work and I get the Subaru. Oh well.

Well, I should get back to work. I came in after lunch today because I had to run errands for the lab so I should get something else done today. I hope everyone had a happy Easter and is doing well.

What happens when you drive too fast in a circle?

It isn’t rocket science. If you drive too fast around a round-about in a top heavy car you will tip over. I think it seems simple. Coming back to campus from lunch today Marvin and I saw this trailer tipped over. We think it is a water tanker and the driver took the curve too fast and tipped. That has got to make things a bad day.

It has been a while since I have posted anything so here is a little bit to catch everyone up. (I just checked the last blog and wow it has been a while!) Nothing monumental has happened in the last 3 weeks. One of my friends who was here on a 2 month assignment left about 9 days ago. She might be back in a few months on a regular contract but we will see.

I am learning to knit. No requests just yet as I am VERY slow. I like it though. Pretty soon it is going to be really hot, so it will be a nice indoor thing. I got my air conditioning fixed so things will be better on that front.

Not much else is going on. A student invited me to a Qatari wedding this week, it should be a very interesting time. (This wedding is no alcohol by government regulations!)

I hope all is well where you are. I have less than two months now until my next ham sandwich. YES!