Oditity - Tissues, Marvel - Dates

 Oddity - Using facial tissues as paper towels

Dates and sweet treats are very popular here. On my first day in Qatar, I was offered dates by every colleague (I think I ate 20 that day) and gifted a bowl of dates from a colleague who grew them in her garden. When you eat the date, you have to spit out the seed so you need something to collect the seed. 

I noticed a very odd thing. When you eat dates or most any food, they offer you a tissue to clean your hands. It is the same type tissue you would use to blow your nose. It is very thin and fine, versus a paper towel that is thicker and strong. 

At first I thought this was due to convenience. They gave me a tissue because it was close by and the paper towels were far away. But every time I was offered a date by a colleague or a friend, I was also offered a tissue. People keep the tissue boxes next to the dates. 

At many restaurants, there is a box of tissues on the table. The tissues are typically a little stronger than the tissues I buy in the US, but they are still finer and prone to breaking, especially when wet. The dates are very sticky so you need to get your hands wet in order to remove the stickiness but the tissue can not handle it. 

When I eat out, my fingers are covered with the stickiness and I have to go through 3-4 tissues in order to clean my hands. It seems silly, especially since I could use a simple wet towel to clean off the fingers at once. Perhaps one day someone will explain why you use a tissue instead of a napkin or paper towel. 

Marvel - The filling power of dates

Dates are ubiquitous to the middle east. Many Muslims break their Ramadan fast with dates. The reasoning is that dates have a high sugar content which helps quickly restore energy. Dates are also high in fiber so they help fill you up. It is traditional (and tasty) to eat dates with your coffee. The dates add sweetness so you do not need to add sugar. 

I started adding dates to my yogurt in the morning and found that it fills me up. I already added dates to my smoothies in the US, to help add sweetness and a little bit of extra fiber. Now that I'm here, I find that I just need to snack on 1-2 dates to get an energy boost and feel better for the day. Its amazing - such a tiny little thing can pack a powerful punch.

Teaching women in STEM

I teach chemistry in the College of Arts and Sciences. One of the most distinct differences between teaching in the United States and teaching in Qatar is that my classes at Qatar University are separated by gender.  In the College of Arts and Sciences, where I teach, male and female are in different buildings. 

The female building is completely enclosed and there are signs everywhere saying only females, except male faculty. When students drive to campus, there are male entrances and female entrances. There are female security guards at every female building entrance to ensure that only females or male faculty enter. 

The restrictions seem to be enforced more stringently to protect female spaces. For example, there are male security guards at the entrance to most male building entrances but females can usually enter those buildings. However, males are typically not allowed to enter female spaces unless they have a specific reason to be there (i.e. faculty or staff). 

My office is in the female building. When I found out that my office was in the female building, I assumed that it would only house female faculty, but there are male and female faculty offices inside.  While students are separated by gender, faculty can teach male or female classes and have offices/labs in either male or female spaces. This can be difficult when faculty teach classes back to back since the classrooms are on completely different campuses. There are shuttle busses and even shuttle cars to take faculty from building to building, but often it is better to walk/ run between buildings in rather than wait for the shuttle. Thankfully, my office and classrooms are close to each other. 

See below the interior of the Women's college, the bright, airy, air conditioned space. It is nice to stay air conditioned between classes. 

Additionally, the campus clearly wants female students to see themselves as scientists, as one of the coffee shops next to the Women's College - The Chemist Cafe - shows women in hijabs doing chemical things. 

Side note - there is a Starbucks inside the female College of Arts and Sciences - the ONLY Starbucks on campus. During the day, this area is filled with women in black abayas - chatting and drinking coffee. 

I will be honest and say that the strict gender separation has been difficult for me to accept. It was one of the things that I dreaded most before coming here. From the courses I taught in Women in STEM, I knew of numerous examples where women were kept out of scientific conversations because they were not allowed in male only spaces. (e.g - women excluded from the senior common room at Kings College which contributed to the unhappiness of Rosalind Franklin). Given my past experiences as a woman in STEM, combined with my American upbringing that separate is NOT equal, the idea of separate spaces for females has been difficult to embrace. 

However, I am here and I am teaching in a place that separates female undergraduates from male undergraduates. I teach two sections of ONLY female students. This is the first time in my career that I have taught ONLY women. Being in STEM, its pretty common for women to be a minority in the classroom but that is changing. In my undergrad, around 40% of the people in the classroom were female and the rest male. In the chemistry classes I teach, around 50% of the students are women. For the first time in my career, I don't have to worry about male/female ratio in class teams - removing one of the barriers to female success in STEM. I find that I feel more comfortable in the female only spaces. Its not that I am not allowed in the male spaces, but I feel like I can be more open in the female spaces.  So given my own experiences, I am incredibly curious to see if women learning in a female only class leads to improvements in female student success.

It is important to note that the student body at Qatar University between 70-80% female, so much of the campus buildings are set aside for female students. The reasons for this high number are varied, but the most common explanation given is that due to male guardianship laws, Qatari women must have permission from their fathers in order to leave the country. The oldest males typically go away to campuses in the US, Canada, or Europe. The only males who go to college in Qatar are typically the 3rd, 4th, or 5th sons (if a family has that many). Since education at Qatar University is gender separated, families are more likely to support female student who want to go to the flagship national university rather than study abroad.

The female students in my classroom are highly motivated and want to go into well-paying careers like medicine and engineering. 

These careers are open to women in Qatar and provide secure jobs. However, there are not enough spaces for all the students who want to go. The pressure to do well is intense! Students can become upset over the smallest deductions in their score. 

Case in point - this week I had a student break down in my office over missing ONE question on an exam.  The student came to my office after the exam and asked to see what they missed. I noticed they were very nervous - shaking even. That was a bit unusual to witness, especially since nearly all my students earned what I though were high scores. This student was a very strong student and only missed one question. It was a hard question - naming transition metal compounds with a polyatomic ion - that was easy to make a mistake on. I was not surprised to see it as one of the most missed questions. However, when I shared the exam with the student, the student started crying. My first thought was - these are tears of relief, because the student did very well. But as I saw the tears and the shaking hands, I realized that it was more. 

While talking with the student, I learned that she was anxious to be admitted to a specific program that only had 20 spots a year. Over 400 students apply for those 20 spots so students must have high scores. The student felt like missing one question on the exam, which lowered her grade from 100 to 95%, was enough to keep her out of the program. She felt that if she could not get into the program, that she would be stuck without a career. 

Hearing this - I instantly went into growth mindset mode. 

The first thing I did was to remind the student that a score on the exam was NOT a measure of who they are as a person. Second, when a school admits less than 1% of its applicants, getting admitted is not something that you can control. If you get accepted, that's great, but if you do not get accepted, that does not mean you are any less of person or any less capable of success. I mentioned the times I was rejected in my career (aka, my CV of failures) and how that was part of growing. It seemed to calm the student down. Third, I asked the student if there were any other career paths or schools they would consider pursuing. At the mention of a different career path, the student broke down again. They had only ever wanted this career and if they could not do this career, she would never be able to participate in the workforce. 

At this moment, I had to pause. If I was in the US, I would say you can pursue any career you want. But here, that is not always true. While the % of women in the Qatar workforce is increasing, male guardianship laws place real restrictions on female career paths. Female students need to have a supportive and understanding family in order to leave the country or switch career paths. I don't know the student's family situation and it is NOT appropriate for me to ask (in Qatar or in the US). I can hope that the student's family will support them in any career choice they make - even if it means going to another country to get into the program or pursuing a career that is lower profile.  But I can't make that assumption. 

So I had to adjust my approach here. I can not advise students for a specific path, but I can remind them that they are awesome and will be successful at the paths they end up pursuing. I can not state that things will always be the way they want, but that I believe they are amazing (mumtaz in Arabic!). Even though a significant part of me is frustrated at the state of laws, I can point to several women role models at the university who demonstrate that women can succeed in STEM careers in this country. After a lot of questions and tears, the student calmed down enough to stop shaking and left.

I was pretty shaken by the incident so I shared the experience with some of my Qatar University colleagues. Is this a normal thing to expect from students? Did I do the right thing in giving the student a space to talk? 

Their responses generally were - yes it is normal to see this from female students, it is rare to see it from male students. One colleague (a former female student at the university) said that female students often do this in order to get the professor to change their grade. She expressed doubt in the veracity of the students story until I shared that changing the grade was never an option, I've been teaching long enough to be impervious to those requests unless the student can prove that the question was wrong. Then she said - yes, students may experience this stress but it okay to send them to academic counselors. (I now need to figure out how to make referrals).  Another colleague (male) said that he was grateful that the students felt comfortable enough to talk to me about this. He was impressed that I had the patience to spend so much time with the student. 

Now I'm not really sure how to end this post - other than to say that if other students want to talk, my office door is open. 

Birthday treats

I celebrated my Birthday while in Qatar. More specifically, I celebrated a birthweek. Its too much stress to put all the celebration in one day, so I stretch it to one week of fun activities.  :-)

Note - this post is really just an excuse to share a lot of fun photos. 

The birthday coincided with my husband being in town, so I used my Birthday as a way to throw parties and introduce my husband to all the people I met so far. 

The celebration started the weekend before, where my husband and I booked a staycation at one of the fancy hotels. I was told that staying at a 5 star hotel in Qatar is more comparable to a 7 star hotel in Europe, so I was eager to check out the luxurious space! In the summer, they run these great specials where you get at 5 star hotel room, including breakfast at the huge buffet, for less than the cost of a 2 star hotel. 

The hotel exceeded my expectations! The room was huge with a luxurious comfy bed and cozy sofa. The bathroom was a mini suite with separate spaces for the toilet, a waterfall showerhead, and a deep marble tub. They welcomed us to the suite with a plate of local treats and fruits. 

From the room, we could see the large pool and beach. 

Since I had not been able to access a pool and the beach had been too hot for the first four weeks I was in town, I was down and in the pool within minutes! 

Many times, hotel pools are heated. But here in Qatar, the pool water is chilled so it is not bathtub temperature. When you arrive at the pool, an attendant will come to your bench and ask if you want water, they then bring you towels and a cooler of bottled ice water for you to enjoy while at the pool. The pool is HUGE so the space rarely feels busy. 

Right next to the pool was a beach, where I got to swim in the Arabian Gulf for the first time! It feels like a salty bathtub. The water temperature was around 94F. The salt content is so high that you can float easily. I would ease into the warm water, then lie on my back for 20 minutes, enjoying the relaxation. 

If I got too hot, I would get out, rinse off in the shower, then cool down in the big pool. In the afternoon, the sun sat behind the hotel building so the pool was mostly in shade - meaning I did not have to wear my sunblocker hoody. I could just float in my western style swimsuit.  

After swimming, we would clean up and then go to dinner in one of the 7+ hotel restaurants. One night, we visited friends at another hotel for pizza and mocktails on the beach. On the second night, we visited a Lebanese restaurant and had the best falafel I've ever had in my life. So soft and fluffy! We had Fatoush (a middle eastern salad), hummus, chili potatoes, and fresh baked bread. So yummy! 

On the third night we visited a Latin restaurant where I enjoyed tasty mocktails. 

For breakfast, we had access to hotels breakfast buffet, which lasted from 7am to 12pm everyday and consisted of 8 different buffet areas: pastries, fruits, fresh juices, a selection of hummus for Arabic mezze, American style hot breakfast, breads from the kiln, curries, fresh made to order sushi, a muesli/oatmeal bar, and a desert bar. And if that wasn't enough, that offered made to order omelets, eggs, pancakes, and waffles! It was incredible! We typically spent 1-2 hours slowly trying a small amount of the many foods. 

I had to work on a talk one afternoon, so I took the opportunity to work in the fancy lobby. A fancy lobby makes for a great talk - right? 

We really enjoyed the stay and left the space completely relaxed. It made it hard to go back to work. But, going to work meant that my husband could finally meet my friends and colleagues. We started by hosting a small party in the courtyard of the faculty housing buildings. Around 20 friends and colleagues came to this last minute get together. Thanks to friend Z for getting people to come so late and bringing candles and the blanket!

The weather had cooled down slightly so we could spend about two hours just hanging out and chatting in the park. The picture below shows the aftermath of 10+ kids and 10+ adults after enjoying cake and juice and balloons!

The next day was my actual birthday, and after I spent a few hours in the office, my husband and I went out for a special dinner at Yasmine Palance- a local restaurant known for its atmosphere. The place came highly recommended from many of my colleagues in the region as a place to celebrate. The interior evokes a gilded Arabic palace. There is a water fountain inside the restaurant and the interior evokes a spirit of celebration. A great place to spend my actual birthday and my last full day with my husband before he returned to the US. 

On the last two days of the week, I gave a talk to the department - which was an excuse to bring my husband to campus so he could meet my colleagues. All were very friendly and welcoming to him! I got to show him my office and the building I work in and he got to work at my desk while I led office hours.  He left that night, which was sad, but it was fun to take the metro to the airport (riding the metro will be a subject of an entire post!) 

The week ended with a fun social hour at another local hotel restaurant with Qatar friend Sarah and Kentucky-Qatar friend Lindsey. No photos of us but a photo of the amazing hotel lobby. 

So that concluded my treats for my birth week. It was a great opportunity to explore the fancier side of Doha and gather friends for parties. I'm wondering if I can celebrate a birth year? ;-) 

Thank you for reading and putting up with my photos! 

Six Weeks - Marvels about the heat and clothing

Its crazy, I have been in Doha for 6 weeks now. The time has flown by. 

It has been three weeks since I last posted, because I had a special guest in town for two weeks. When he left, I had to start preparing students to take their first midterm. I've had some down time to reflect on more marvels and oddities from my time here. I am crafting a few posts to demonstrate them. 

Marvel - the cooling power of linen and cotton (and head scarves)

Qatar, like the many countries in the Arabian/Persian Gulf, is hot and humid. The image that comes to mind for most people is a desert .. and much of the Qatar peninsula is a desert. However, due to the warm temperature of the gulf - averaging 32 degrees Celsius year round - the areas near the water have extremely high humidity - around 50-70% in June - September. 

Due to this humidity - the thermometer says it is 90F outside - the real feel can range from 96- 107 F. During the day, even in early October,  the daytime high is 100F but the real feel is 110F.  (This is better from when I arrived when the daytime high was 110 but it felt like 130F - so progress!) 

In short, it is hot and humid - even at night. 

Before I left the United States, I invested in clothing that would be appropriate for the region. The culture is to dress conservatively - I signed a dress code stating that I would wear long pants/skirts that cover the knees and shirts that are half length or longer. For the most part I wear long sleeves and long pants/skirts. These are not the typical clothing I would wear in hot/humid weather.

However, it turns out that loose fitting cotton and linen clothes are just perfect for staying cool. It turns out that linen is exceptionally breathable which allows sweat to evaporate quickly. Chemically speaking - As sweat evaporates, the breaking of forces between water molecules takes energy, so it takes the heat from your body to break the bonds, which allows to cool. Even in high humidity without a breeze, the loose fitting clothing creates a space for the water to evaporate and cool you down. 

So - I am incredibly comfortable wearing my linen pants and my long sleeve cotton tops to walk around town. It keeps the sun office. 

My go to pants have been a pair of natural linen pants I bought on a whim one week before I left the US. While these are not dressy enough for the office, I wear them any time I go out because they are just comfortable. 

 

Even when I travel to areas where it is more appropriate to wear short sleeves, I find myself wearing a long sleeve shirt to protect my arms from the sun - which helps keep me cool. Andy did the same thing - although with technical shirts. I still prefer my cotton and linen because it just helps me feel cool! 

To avoid the sun, I also find myself wearing a head scarf. The sun is blinding bright and burns as soon as I walk outside. So cover my head to provide some sort of shade- and it works!  The scarf then doubles as a lovely accessory. 

Oddity - Black Linen is actually cool

In Qatar and many other conservative Arab countries - the women wear black from head to toe. They were head scarves like the black hijab and abayas - a long loose gown worn over other clothing. Any scientist knows that black absorbs more heat than white - so why do the women wear black in a hot climate. In traditionally Bedouin cultures, nearly everyone wears black. But why? 

It turns out that someone studied this (BBC article) and determined that black reduces solar loads compared to other colors. White animal hairs permit more short wave radiation to transmit through to the skin compared to dark hairs - this means that more dangerous UV radiation can penetrate through the light colored clothing than dark clothing. Additionally - the cooling power of the clothing comes from the breathability (discussed above) and the loose fitting nature. Cooling in the long loose fitting robes comes from a convection current generated between the skin and clothes. In the Nature article, they say that since the cooling comes from the convection current, the color of the clothing does not matter. And since black allows for less penetration of harmful radiation - black robes make sense. 

So - thats odd but it works. Here is a photo of me wearing my favorite black linen dress - not as cooling as the full robe but it works! 

Additional reading: 

Google Image search for black clothing in Middle East

Original Nature Study about black bedouin clothing (paywall)