I wrote the two paragraphs below two days after we arrived. Unfortunately, we have experienced major computer connection problems. You don't want to know. Anyway, we've survived the first week, and will give you details in the next entry.
We arrived in Doha around 7:00 pm local time, or around 11am est, on Friday. It was a relatively easy trip, considering we were in the air for 12 hours from Washington to Qatar. As usual the Qataris have been great hosts. We were met off the plane by a woman who escorted us through customs and immigration. A driver took us to our “flat,” a humble three bedroom, 2.5 bath place that is really nice. We spent Saturday setting up housekeeping, then met Nancy Allen, a professor from Texas who is here on a three year contract for dinner. It’s good to have some one to mentor us through some of the basics of living in this very different place.
Today is Sunday, the first day of the work week in Qatar and most Islamic countries. Friday is holy day, and Saturday is an off day. I will meet this morning with Dr. Hissa, the Dean of the College of Education, and attend a meeting about accreditation: They are voluntarily going through an NCATE like process with a visitation scheduled in 2010. For those of you who might know her, Linda Blanton is consulting on this. More later as the work activity picture clarifies.