Building community

What does it mean to be in community? 

For me - it means finding a group of people to enjoy things with- to share stories, coffee, games, and dreams together. To share random comments and larger thoughts. People with whom you can make mistakes and still have their support.

It took me several years to form a community in the Pacific Northwest. It was hard to leave - even if it is just temporarily. I came to Qatar knowing no one - and not having a community. The only connections I had were through Fulbright or someone who knew someone here. I developed WhatsApp groups with other scholars in the region - but I have not met any of them in person (yet). 

Before I came, I talked to many former scholars and faculty from Qatar University. One thing they mentioned was how supportive the faculty were here. When I asked former Fulbright Scholars to share their experiences with faculty, their voice took on a very sing song quality, like the same dreamy quality I develop when I discuss my dear friends from graduate school (the same friend group where I met my spouse). Others develop this quality when sharing about their old childhood friends, or their long lost love.

One of my biggest regrets from my first Fulbright was choosing to stay in my room over meeting other people. Even though- I lived in a dorm with a shared bathroom and shared kitchen - I spent the first month hiding in my room watching TV shows. 

Here, I live in a private apartment - with a kitchen and bathroom all to myself. Additionally, it is crazy hot outside so it is hard to go and socialize with others. The temptation to stay inside - alone - is high. It is so much easier to just stay in my nice cool air conditioned home streaming English shows on my computer. Staying inside increases stress hormones - humans are not meant to be alone. So I remind myself to step outside and just try to connect. 

So I have started to find community. 

I am finding community with other new faculty. We went through orientation together - feeling bewildered at the firehose of information. Then there was the 5 hours spent taking health tests for the Qatari Residence ID...walking from building to building in the hot August sun. We shared WhatsApp numbers and swap resources for setting up Blackboard sites, navigating the new technology in the classroom, and codes for accessing the podiums.

In the classroom, I discovered that I share a hallway with some excellent friendly colleagues in chemistry and math. And my office is just around the hall from the Chemistry student lounge - where many faculty host their office hours in the Women's building - and down the hall from the Math Faculty lounge - stocked with TWO espresso makers and frequently filled with treats. 

Colleagues like Zarina and E. meet for coffee - sharing a cup of coffee as we share stories of students and our lives in our different home countries (we all come from different continents: North America, Central Asia, and North Africa). 

Another colleague -S. meets up for late night tea and chats - letting me borrow her balcony so I can dry my sheets (the washer/dryer combo) gives more the essence drying rather than actually dry clothes. She lived in Doha before so she knows several great spots to find tea and pastries!

Then there are the chemistry colleagues who are generous with their time when I have sooo many questions. They ask me to call when I need rides places and bring yummy treats to enjoy (over coffee of course!) They keep telling me of the multiple Fulbrights who came Qatar for one year - and then decided to call QU their home. 

And then there are the surprising reconnections - finding out that Lindsey from KY is staying in Qatar as well - and we get to explore a new country and food while reminiscing about our shared childhood experiences (growing up as PKs and knowing the same people!)

So, while it has only been three weeks - I'm starting to find people to share experiences with and share coffee. 

Speaking of connections - a special guest from home arrives in three days! I can't wait to explore more of the city with him - and introduce him to the new communities I'm finding.

First Day and First Impressions

I met my students this week, and they met me. 

The work week is Sunday - Thursday here, where Friday and Saturday are the days off. My classes meet twice a week on Monday and Wednesday - giving me an extra day to prepare. Any teacher who knows - starting on Day 2 of the week is a luxury that is MUCH appreciated. Additionally, I teach two sections of the same class back to back so I only have one class to prep. The sections meet in the late afternoon so I have the entire morning to prepare.

On the first day of classes (Sunday) I went to my office watched everyone run around to find their classrooms while I worked in my office to prepare for the first day. Teaching is the reason why I came to Qatar. Many students at UWB call this region home. Below is a map that my students complete the first day of class. Students drop a pin at the place they call home. Notice the large concentration of green pins along the East Coast of North Africa and Gulf Coast regions - the embassy refers to this region as the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). 

While I teach many students from the MENA region, I teach them in the US, where they are surrounded by US culture and customs. We use student centered approaches - where we engage students in the learning by asking them to practice activities during class, to talk with their peers, and to make mistakes during class time. I've been using these approaches for 13+ years and research shows that they increase retention. Students in the US who may not be used to active learning, quickly adapt because thats how we all teach. Here, instruction is mostly lecture based where professors provide detailed lecture notes about the topic which does not provide time for students to practice during class time. 

There is ONE major difference about the classes here at Qatar University compared to any other university I have taught at. The undergraduate courses are strictly separated by gender. When students register, they register for either a Male Section or Female Section. Classes are taught not only in different buildings, but in entirely different sections of campus. Male students are NOT allowed to enter womens buildings - which is enforced by female security guards to the entrance of the building. Male faculty are allowed to enter the building. I teach only women, which is something I've never actually had the chance to do. 

Before I came, I asked a LOT of questions of former Fulbrights, instructors at the institution, and UWB colleagues who used to teach in the region. Most said that the students were wonderful - a joy to work with. But they did provide a fair warning that I needed to work harder to engage them in active learning - as it is something completely different from everything else they have done. Additionally, students have been burned by other Westerners who come to the institution just to earn a paycheck, and don't actually care about the students. When I asked for advice in how to help prepare students for learning and make it easier to participate, the advice was this: 

• share your reasons for coming to Qatar - to learn about them. 
• provide an activity the first day that explains why students need processing skills and content knowledge
• get them active from Day 1.

As it turns out, my first class day was nearly identical to the first day of class the last four years but with greater emphasis on the sharing. 

I started by sharing extensively about me - my motivation for coming to Qatar - and sharing my hobbies and activities - including a picture of my husband and I gardening. Basically showing that I am a person too!

Then, I spent the next 10 minutes of class using MentiMeter Polls to learn about them. Like learning about where they come from and what they want to major in. This also helped me get to know the students. As you see below, most of my students came from the MENA region - over 70% come from Qatar. 

Additionally, the majority want to major in engineering...which is different than in the US where most of my students want to major in health sciences. The students here mostly want to major in engineering. This is really interesting given that the class is 100% women! 

Finally, I asked them to name one thing that need to be successful in their career/life goals. Given the emphasis on engineering - I thought that students would state they need math and science content (which they do). I ask this question at the start of every science course I teach and the answers often look like the one below.  

I was surprised that the responses are nearly identical to the ones I receive in my US classes. Most of the skills are communication, time management, or teamwork. None of these skills can be gained from traditional lecture or memorizing chemical formulas. However (this is my hook) - these skills be taught if the students work in teams during class - providing an opportunity to learn the content while develop these skills. 

Then, rather than lecture on the course expectations and highlight the syllabus - I ask students to work in teams to explore the syllabus- forcing them to work as a team to do a syllabus scavenger hunt - (its a 12 page syllabus) and identify the most important expectations for the class. Teams had four members, a manager to keep the team on task, a recorder to record team notes on a sheet of paper, a spokesperson to verbally report team results, and a reflector who made sure that all students agreed on an answer before they moved on. 

I had been warned by other instructors that the students don't feel comfortable working in teams and they definitely do NOT like verbally asking things in the class - because they are nervous about their English language. I did not have this issue in class- Mostly because I reminded students that they were reporting answers from the team - they could practice their responses with the team before sharing the class. One group was very uncomfortable responding then - so I let them choose the question that they responded to. Giving students the chance to practice and providing a choice in response helped to lower their anxiety - making it easier for them to participate. 

Overall - the students were engaged and enthusiastic during the class. The 75 minutes of class flew by and we barely had time to finish! I and the students left the class energized and excited for the term. Students left the class knowing the most important exercises and felt more comfortable with this students centered technique. 

So in short - the first day went well. Students seemed to leave with a good impression of me and I left with a great impression of them. 

As a nice reward - I got to enjoy this fantastic view of campus and Doha West Bay as I walked home for the night.  It helped make it easier to prepare for the next class...which is a tale of conversion factors. and the subject of another blog post. 

Its Hot Doha!

For anyone who grew up in the Evansville or Owensboro area in the late 80s, you remember the car commercials for Don Moore.  The ad started with a man floating in a pool saying "Its hot Don!" Another person would then say - "You can say that again".. To which the man in the floaty would say - "Its hot Don!" (The commercial isn't online but here is a youtube parody of it)

As I reflect on my first week in Doha - the term that comes to mind is "Its Hot! Doha!"

The Gulf region is known for having some of the hottest temperatures in the world. Summer temperatures range from a high of 110 to a low of 90 degrees Fahrenheit. With humidity, the temperature feels like 120+ degrees Fahrenheit. 

I knew about the temperature before coming. People who had lived in Qatar before had warned me what is was like - so hot that you cant even cross the street.  Humidity so high that you never have a chance to sweat - your body literally can not cool down. I heard about this and dreaded it. 

I prepared by buying lightweight cotton and linen clothing. I exercised outside in the heat of the Seattle afternoon (which maxed out at 90 degrees) in an attempt to acclimate. But I learned that nothing prepares you for the steam room that is Qatar in summer - unless you spend your time exercising in a steam room. 

The problem with this extreme heat is that you can not go outside. Its hard to exercise outside, hard to even walk between buildings. Even though my office and home are less than 1 mile apart, the heat makes it unsafe to walk between the two. I tried to last week and ended up at home just lying on the cold tile floor for 20 minutes to cool down. 

The best time to go out is either 4-6am in the morning or late at night - neither are an ideal option. I attempted two runs in the early morning last week, only making it 1.5 miles and collapsing into an ice pack at the end. This morning I did a 5 Kilometer walk to explore campus before students arrive. After just 2 km - I was dripping in sweat! At 6am it was already 95 degrees with a real feel of 100! 

Further complicating the heat is the conservative dress code. Shorts and tank tops are very much frowned upon - for men and women. Short sleeves are somewhat acceptable. When I exercise outside, I wear loose fitting long pants. One day when it cools down, I may try leggings but I'm not there yet.

Its so hot that it is nearly impossible to walk around campus - especially in the middle of the day. The campus provides bus shuttles that take us from building to building, and umbrellas when we have to walk through expansive courtyards like the one below. 

The bus stops are outdoors but they are air conditioned - which is an absolute necessity here! During the day, you hide in the bus stop until the bus arrives..then walk slowly (so as not to generate more heat) to the air conditioned bus. 

I'm learning to stay inside during the hottest part of the day (which is basically all day) and accept that I will sweat as a way of life. Thankfully with the interior air conditioning, it is quite comfortable, and water is never very far away. 

I've been told that the weather starts to cool in October and becomes quite pleasant in November- February - sometimes even cold! I look forward to that time. 

In the mean time - Its Hot Doha! (You can say that again!) 

Radically Accepting Dis-orientation

Its 3am in Doha as I write this blog post. Its my third night in Doha and my body keeps waking up at 1 or 2am. My stomach wants to eat at 9pm , 3am, and 10am Doha time. I feel dizzy and have no sense of date or time. I struggle to stay awake in the middle of the day. I'm not sick, I am just dis-oriented in the new travel, location, and culture. 

Today was new faculty orientation. When you start a new position or new school year - the academy sets up 1-2 weeks of meetings and social gatherings to help you adjust. The firehose of information and new people is overwhelming -even when you've taught higher ed for 20 years - so I refer to orientation weeks as dis-orientation week. 

Qatar University asks faculty to return 1 week before the students. In a university with a global faculty, this means that faculty come from all over the world. Today's orientation group contained faculty from Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa. The first session included check-in and small gifts (a notebook with a built in wireless charger and a nice travel mug). Then a 45 minute session introducing us to the university, student body, and general policies. The session and slides were entirely in Arabic.

I don't speak Arabic (despite studying for 1 and half years on Duolingo) so the university supplied translators for us - leading to a new experience of live translation through a headset.

After the session - they supplied us with coffee and an amazing spread of treats like bit size tomato cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit, and Arabic pastries (Sorry - I forgot to take a photo).

The university did an excellent job setting up the orientation - scheduling one morning session, then asking all of the important services like HR, IT, Immigration, Health Services, and transportation to sit in one hall. They then gave us a checklist of all the services we need to visit and 4 hours to visit them all. The orientation took place in a large bright room with chairs in the middle for new faculty to sit in while waiting for services to open. Most importantly, they supplied us with coffee and snacks` - including fresh arabic coffee and dates (Yum).

Everyone here has been incredibly kind and welcoming. But despite the organization - the coffee and the dates - I felt lost and overwhelmed for much of the day. People had to restate things 3 or 4 times before I understood them.  For someone who spent the last 4 years directing start of the year orientations - this loss of control can make me feel like a failure.

Thankfully, in the weeks before I left, my therapist helped me practice Radical Acceptance - accepting situations that are out of your control and the emotions that come along - without judging them. I accept the emotions that come along with the situation - I am frustrated that my body wants to fall asleep, I am angry that I woke up at 2am and could not fall asleep, and I sad when I miss family/friends. These negative emotions are natural - I accept them as being present.  Then I use those emotions to guide me to what I need to do next. 

I can't change jet lag but I can accept that I will be out of sync for a while - then adapt my routine to accommodate it. This meant that I embrace that I fall asleep at 8pm, and will wake up at 2am. I can be angry, or use the time for bonus yoga and mindfulness sessions on the Calm app or write a blog post at 3 in the morning. I can't change the heat, but I can commiserate with other faculty about the heat - which helps us bond. I miss family and friends, so I call or text them every day - keeping in contact better than when we share the same continent. I can be frustrated that I don't understand Arabic - and use that frustration to ask for help. I asked Arabic speakers to help me practice saying things like my university id number in Arabic. This helps me build a connection with the people around me which help reduce loneliness. Dis-orientation is my guide as I orient to a new culture.

Generally, it takes the body 1 day to adjust for each hour of change, so I hope my body adjusts by the weekend or middle of next week. The cultural and language dis-orientation will continue as long as I embrace it.

Arrival in Qatar - Is there a world standard for orange juice bottles?

Before I left for Qatar I read both non-fiction and fiction books about Qatar. One of my favorites was  "Love from A to Z" by S.K. Ali (highly recommend as it is a cute love story). The book centers around the journal entries of two Muslim teenagers - who write their journals around Marvels and Oddities - which was based around a book found in the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha.  I found the framing of Marvels and Oddities to be a great way to frame my thinking about this trip, so many of my blog posts may take the Marvel and Oddities structure. 

Marvel - Birdsong

 I arrived in Qatar on Saturday. After about two hours walking, dealing with passport control, carrying 70 kilos (150 pounds) of luggage and buying a local sim card, I met my driver and made it to my new home at Faculty housing. I fell asleep around 10pm  but woke up again around 3am (my body thought it was 6pm in the evening). After trying to use yoga and meditation to fall back asleep - I finally gave up and just got out of bed at 5am. What caused me to finally get up was birdsong. 

Everything I read about Qatar discussed the gigantic building boom and the desert weather. It neglected to mention that Qatar University is isolated from the city. Much of the campus is set up as a type of desert oasis - with trees and bushes between campus buildings. Additionally, traditional Arab architecture uses gardens and courtyards as a cooling device in building design. I should not be surprised to hear birds. Since I couldn't sleep, I embraced the opportunity to listen to this chorus of birdsong. It was so lovely that I recorded a short video to share. 

One of my worries for this trip was being detached from nature while living in a big city, so I am very relieved to enjoy this symphony just outside my door. Just a few minutes of sitting outside in the birdsong helped me feel like a new person. 

Oddity - Orange juice bottles

Is there a cartel that decides the shape of Orange Juice bottles?

The faculty housing at QU is just lovely. And they helped ease my transition by supplying some fresh foods like coffee, fruit, and cheese to tide me over until I figure out the grocery situation. It is very thoughtful. I have been pleasantly surprised at how easy the transition has been so far (I'm not teaching yet so we will see how that transition holds.) 

Notice anything strange...or maybe not strange... about the shape of the orange juice bottle? The bottle shape is identical to bottles in the United States - even though I am 6000 miles away! Did someone decide that juice bottles should look like this? 

I moved 8000 miles away - things should be completely different. Its odd how similar some things are. 

Goodbyes are hard, see you laters are much easier

Goodbyes are hard, see you laters are much easier. 

The past week has been filled with see you laters. I originally planned to fly out on August 15 but a yucky case of shingles led me to postpone my trip until August 18. On a sunny note, I got a bonus 3 days to spend with friends and my spouse, which I filled with coffee dates, happy hours, walks, lake swims, and movies. This came with a cost, I've been saying goodbye for two weeks. 

It started with goodbyes to my office and work colleagues. Setting up my office for a lengthy sabbatical. 

Then I said goodbye to my campus (and my glorious 8 mile commute along a river!)

Then my friends D and R hosted a bon voyage party where my friends crafted lovely Mad Libs about my journey - it features a lot of POGIL :-)

Then I spent the week visiting the garden with my husband (while seeing a hot air balloon along the way!)

Walking through woodland parks with colleague and friend E.G - where we spotted a woodpecker!

Happy hour with friends on capital hill, early morning coffee dates (trying to adjust time zones), and beach swims in the lake with G.F. 

For each of these events and friends, the parting process led to hugs, tears, and see you soon. Goodbye seems so final, see you soon means that we will see each other again. Soon is relative here, its 5 months away (at least)...and for Seattle summers, 1 year away). 

While I travel a lot (three years Alaska MVP Gold!), its ussually short hops to see family or close colleagues, And my husband usually travels with me. 

This is different. Last time I knew the country, language, and even the residence hall I would stay in which allowed me to plan ahead. This time, I don't even know if I'm staying in an apartment or house! (I have a building number but that's all I know). This time, I'm on my own, going to a place I've never been to, living in a culture that I have no experience with and a language that I can barely speak, working with colleagues I've never met before.

This time though, is also different because I'm coming back to the same place and same job. I have a stronger support network of friends, colleagues, and family who took the time to visit - making it clear that I will be missed (as they will also be missed). 

This is an irony of friendship, the closer you become to your friends, the more supported you feel, which makes you feel braver about doing hard things. I'm struggling to leave this time because I am moving away from an incredible support network - and this support network gives me the confidence to leave. 

As my friend G.F. said in a text this morning as I left for the airport. 

"Life begins at the edge of your comfort zone"  

Leaving friends and family for the time is pushing me outside of my comfortable PNW life and it is helping me grow. 

So as I embark on the journey, See you soon and THANK YOU for the support!

Welcome! I'm going to Qatar!

Welcome to my blog! This is my formal record of that which I did in the State of Qatar (hat tip - Matt Horn). 

Actually, its more an informal record of experiences, thoughts, and feelings that I will experience while on this adventure. 

But lets back up a bit. Charity is going to Qatar? Why? What for? and what will she wear? 

I will be going to Qatar as a Fulbright Scholar - a flagship international exchange program of the United States that sends 800 scholars from the United States to institutions around the world and brings 900 scholars to the US. Fulbright activities range from teaching to consulting to research and take place in many countries and regions around the world. 

Why Fulbright? Becoming a Fulbright Scholar has been a dream of mine for sometime. Those who have known me a while, know that this is NOT my first Fulbright - I was a US Student Fulbight to Germany in 2008-2009. During the Fulbright student experience, I learned about the Fulbright Scholar Awards. I chose the Fulbright program because past experience proved that the program provides excellent support for grantees and provides a well recognized tool within country. So as my first sabbatical approached, I knew that I wanted to apply for a Fulbright award as part of the experience. Officially, my goal is to to apply “Student-Centered Active Learning Approaches to Science and First-year Education in Qatar.” 

Why Qatar? My current campus - University of Washington Bothell - has an incredibly diverse student population - over 30% of our students come from Middle Eastern, North African, and Central Asian countries. In the first-year courses I teach, close to 50% of my students identify as coming from these countries. Qatar is a hub for education and innovation in the Middle East, bringing in students from across the region. While the culture, education systems, and histories of the groups are diverse - Qatar provides a hub to experience some of the similarities. While I can learn a lot from reading - nothing compares to experiencing the region myself. 

What will I do? I proposed to teach first-year science courses to determine how to adapt student-centered practices that are widely used in American schools to meet learners’ needs, interests, values, perceptions, communication styles and expected learning outcomes in a middle eastern setting. This means I will work IN THE CLASSROOM using techniques from years in the POGIL project and chemistry education research. 

What will I wear? 

What I need to wear has been source of much anxiety. Since I will be in the classroom, I need to dress appropriately for the region. The weather is hot and humid (versus Seattle's moderate weather). Much research also revealed that people apparently dress up nice for work (versus Seattle 'I dress up in hiking clothes for work') So a friend and I headed to Bananna Republic to find some linen and cotton suits that are also modest. Two linen suits and a linen dress that pairs with a lot of clothes. It seems rather superficial to spend this time on clothes, but the right clothes matter in the region. 

I will close this blog post with some photos of the new items!