Ethiopian Food

These pictures are for my friend Sheila who loves food pictures almost as much as she loves food.

Pictures of Ethiopia

Ethiopia

We were back at work for only two and a half weeks before we had our first Eid break. What a great country!

Kimberly and I had decided that we wanted to make ourselves useful on this break and had spent the summer planning a trip to Addis Ababa to do some work for the Ethiopian Nurses' Association. We were put to work on Monday and Tuesday but on Sunday nd Thursday we were able to see a bit of the country. We hope that our association with the nurses in Ethiopia will be long-lived and productive.

Leaving Home

People always ask me, "Do you dread going back?" And I always reply,"Not at all. I look forward to getting back to Doha, to work, to all my friends and to new adventures." No, I don't dread going back, but I do hate to leave.
The weather in New Brunswick this summer was beautiful--warm, and sunny, perfect pool weather. I spent the summer watching the garden and the grass grow from my sunny veranda and biking back and forth from town.
I also made some new friends. A catbird couple had taken up residence in a shrub next to the deck and they visited me every day. The male would meow, meow in warning whenever I got too close to their home. He would hop onto the fence surrounding the pool and watch, his tail flicking up and down. I enjoyed their antics all summer, and finally got some pictures just before I returned to Doha.

Uncommon Beauty

While most of the world is fighting back from economic recession, Qatar has managed to move ahead with business as usual. The incessant construction of high rises, compounds, and infrastructure continues without let up. The papers report daily on expansions in the oil and gas industries. This apparent prosperity was nowhere more evident than at the Jewelery and Watch Exhibit at the Exhibition Center over the past week.



Over 200 jewelery vendors were present to show their wares, and Qataris were buying---at least they were doing a lot of heavy looking!



The Exhibition Center was dressed in its evening clothes to provide the elegant surroundings appropriate for such majestic goods. The doorways were draped in white satin and the floors were softly carpeted. A large fountain stood in the entrance lobby under four sparkling chandeliers, a soft blue light coloring the bubbling water.



Most of the jewels were placed in large elaborate settings, targeting the Arab population, as one salesman explained to me. They were the most exquisite creations that I have ever seen. I wandered around for almost 2 hours just looking in wonder. I've posted some pictures but they do not do justice to the beautiful stones.

The Gates of Doha

The Gates of Doha

Have I told you of the gates of Doha?
Have I spoken of their strength?
Have I told you of their beauty
Of gilt and patterns Arabesque?
Did I tell you how at night they shine
Under the Doha moon
And hint of elegance within
O marble, stone and glass?
Have I told you of the gates of Doha,
How they enclose and segregate
Protect and divide the inside from the out
And make me wonder about the family there?
Would they invite me in
If they could see me here
Outside the gates of Doha, outside of Arabie?

Garden Fever

We took a drive this morning out to the plant nursery close to the camel race track. Pam wanted to buy some bougainvillea to plant in the holes left where the bricks had collapsed in her back yard. Having not been to the nursery before, she asked if I would take her. Before long we had a truck full of people who wanted to go--Pam, Virginia,Tam and her mother, Ane, and me. Charles is a roomy little x-trail with lots of room for people and plants--or at least we thought there would be lots of room. After all, Tam was just going along for the ride, to show her mother the nursery. She didn't plan to buy anything. It turned out that we all bought lots of things, but we had room for it all. (Some of our purchases had to be nestled on laps like sleeping children for the ride home.)It was a beautiful sunny, clear morning--a lovely day for a drive.

The plant nursery is owned by the state or the Emir; I not sure if there is a difference. It supplies all of the flowering plants and shrubs that are planted around the city and consists of at least 12 large green houses that are open to the public. They grow vegetables outdoors with irrigation, as well. The green houses are packed with plants for inside and outside--bougainvillea, hibiscus, jasmine, ivy, philodendron, all types of flowering annuals, palmetto,and so many more that I can't name. They are staffed by friendly gentlemen from Sri Lanka, India and Nepal who are more than happy to give customers a bargain.

Walking through those green houses is a real feast for the senses. The smell of moist soil, of flowering plants, the steamy air is delightful. Colorful annuals fill 3 green houses-gerber daisy, geranium, petunia, marigold. The variety of shades of green is remarkable, each species adding its own unique variation, some tinged with red, some striped with yellow or cream. Large squealing fans keep the air moving, and air conditioning units lining one long wall in each unit keep everything at the right temperature. What a novel idea, the Canadian in me thought, air conditioning in a green house!

The need to surround ourselves with living plants is a common denominator among the nationalities, I think. Arabs, Europeans, Asians, and North Americans alike were there this morning gathering a little green to adorn their living spaces. It is no wonder, considering the dry, hot weather conditions and the barren landscape in this little country,that people are starved for green. Economically and environmentally speaking growing plants here probably uses too much water and energy. The mental health benefits, I think, are worth it.

I hurried to pot up my new plants as soon as I got home. I had purchased gerber daisies, and geraniums to fill new planters for my patio. Gardening in January still feels strange to me but this is prime growing season in this part of the world. I have only 2 more months to really enjoy my garden. By April it will be getting too hot for things to grow. But enjoy it I will. My tomatoes and peppers are blossomed. I've been eating spinach from my garden for the past month. And on my patio retreat I am surrounded with color. Not bad for a northern gardener who has had to learn gardening rules anew for this climate and bug population.