Avoiding Boredom and Finding Fulfillment in Doha

I've lived in Doha for over five years. A common set of complaints that I've encountered during my time here centers around there not being much to do in Qatar, and that life here can often feel oddly empty. I'm definitely not going to spend this post telling you that Doha has as much going on as many other capital cities. But what I would like to do is to try to get you thinking differently about how you view your spare time, and perhaps help you find uses for it that leave you enriched in different ways.

You can easily lead a busy and fulfilled life in Doha, whether working full-time or otherwise. Life is very much what you make of it. If you expect activity or opportunity to fall into your lap, you'll probably be disappointed. But if you create opportunities and nurture hobbies, you'll have a better time In Doha and grow along the way. Here are a few things I do to keep busy, develop myself and not feel bitter.

Learn a language.

Doha is a uniquely multicultural city. Use your time living here to try and pick up a language or improve your skills in one you have been working on. You can teach yourself by using apps like Duolingo, entry-level language textbooks bought off Amazon or via classes, e.g. those delivered by Berlitz, Fanar (if you want to study Arabic), or some of the various language and cultural outreach bodies that operate in Doha, e.g. the Institut Français. You can  also team up with a language exchange partner to develop your skills. For example, as I am currently learning Korean, I meet each week with a Korean speaker who wants to improve her English, whilst I, on the other hand, have the opportunity to practice my Korean. We drink coffee, converse and reap mutual benefits.

Exercise!

I really tire when I hear people complaining that they've put on weight in Doha. There are many ways to keep fit here, throughout the year. Develop a fitness routine for yourself and commit to it. If you struggle to stick to a routine, consider having a friend as an accountability partner; motivate each other to work out and keep each other in check.  Anything that gets you moving is beneficial, whether it's thirty minutes of walking in a park, a swim, yoga or a fitness class. Research. Don't wait for someone to tell you what works but educate and empower yourself about exercise and the lifestyle changes that you can make to stay fit.

Initiate activities if you can't find something that suits you.

When I first moved to Doha, I tried to get out of my comfort zone by joining Meetup. At first, I wan't overly enthused by what was on offer, so I decided to initiate activities along the lines of what I wanted to do: Saturday lunch meetups! So if you can't find what you're after, think about initiating the activity and sharing it across social networks. Chances are other people will be keen as well.

Help others
Look around you. Within a few minutes, I'm sure you will come across people who aren't as fortunate as you are or who haven't benefited from the life opportunities you have.  Find formal and informal ways to make a difference. Whether you are volunteering your time, complimenting someone for their hard work or showing someone the respect they might otherwise be denied, you will imbue happiness in yourself and the people you encounter.

Nurture a hobby.
Hobbies are beautiful things. They provide you with project to embark upon, goals to attain and achievements to feel proud of. They can be as complex or as simple as you like. Find one that you enjoy. Begin, explore and develop your interest area. Connect with like-minded people and share your loves with others.

Read, study and seek intellectual stimulation.
Read fiction or nonfiction, whatever takes your fancy. Listen to podcasts. Attend classes that help you build on an interest or hobby. Attend free lectures in Education City or sign up for a class. Engage with people who can help you build knowledge or gain understanding in an area that you want to learn more about. 

Self-improve.

This year, I have really been trying to live my best life, that is to say, pushing myself further than I have before. Assess yourself. What are your development areas? I like to cook but I could improve. So. over the past few months, I've been trying to teach myself and push myself a little further in this area. Build on your talents to become the best version of yourself.

Wake up early, enjoy the sunrise and put down the TV remote control.

It is so easy, especially if one isn't employed, to spend whole days wasting away in front of the TV. Just stop. Wake up early. Fill your agenda with activities and don't let the day slip you by. 

Don't let other people's negativity get you down.

Life isn't perfect. But seek happiness where you can. This can be hard, especially when certain environments, e.g. work, do not facilitate happiness. But try to see beyond that. Cultivate hobbies and relationships that make you happy. At the end of each day consider asking yourself what the best parts of the day have been. Pay attention to your answers and return to those people or activities that nurture your happiness. 

The Art of the Qatar Blockade

It has been a year since Qatar was blockaded by three of her Gulf neighbors. Since the commencement of the blockade, Qatari national solidarity has been expressed through art, beginning with Ahmed bin Majed Almaadheed's Tamim Al Majd: a monochrome painting of Qatar's Emir, who is presented youthful, fearless and, quite exceptionally, without traditional Arab attire. 

One year on, artists Mubarak Al-Thani and Ghada Al-Khater's exhibition, Remember When..., captures the defiant Qatari spirit through satire and generous splashes of color. As a member of a generation that routinely communicates via emoji-strings, the GCC Crisis Emoji Chronicle was an easy favorite of mine. The piece captures the initial incredulity, defiance and subsequent response to the blockade. 

Sharper, however, is Mubarak Al Thani's June 5th -1 Year Later. A lightening bolt from Al Wajba (the site of a 19th century Qatari battle with the Ottomans, and the name given to one of the Emir's principal palaces) strikes Al Auja (again a palatial reference - this time to the home of the Saudi monarch). Spewing from Al Auja, we see vice, in the form of gambling, and pestilence. Al-Thani, a political scientist by training and self-taught artist conveys through angles and sharp colors, local anger against the blockading powers who are seen as having been responsible for their fair share of political and other misdeeds. The chaos of Al Auja contrasts with the order of the Doha skyline, which is in turn, flanked by a graph representing Qatar's economic progress. This is undoubtedly an allusion to the view that the blockade was significantly motivated by envy of Qatar's economic influence on the world stage.

Beyond this exhibit at the W Hotel's Art29 space, art inspired by the emotions of the blockade has sprung up in other spaces. At The Gate Mall, an unused retail space has been converted into the eerie setting for Fatma Alshebani's conceptual and interactive piece, The Mother. Surrounded by garish red light, a tree of barbed wire stands lonely. However, visitors to the exhibit can interact with the barbed wire tree, adding leaves to its branches, allowing to symbolically grow and flourish. The plastic leaves can be personalized - many have names on them: some no doubt of visitors to the exhibit. Many names, however, are those of family members separated by the blockade; our leaves had the names of my parents, so close but yet so far in Bahrain.

It is incredibly exciting to see artists in Qatar convey political commentary through art. Whilst the content invariably portrays the country in a favorable light, the connection between art and political expression in a country perhaps less accustomed to it, ought to be encouraged.

Remember When... by Mubarak Al-Thani and Ghada Al-Khater is on display until September 4, 2018 at Art29, The W Hotel, Doha

The Mother by Fatma Alshebani is currently on view at The Gate Mall, Doha.

Many thanks to Jörg Matthias Determann for assisting with Arabic translations and contributing his thoughts to this commentary.

Keeping Fit with JeanneinDoha | How to Hit 10,000 Steps Each Day

As those of you who follow my Instagram stories will know, I exercise a lot. Whilst many of my workout routines are rigorous, I also strongly believe that general movement is key to staying fit and healthy. Walking is a great form of exercise and a good way to stay active if, for whatever reason, more strenuous activity isn't an option. Of course, strength training and cardiovascular exercise contribute to building one's fitness levels. But sometimes, it's important to just keep moving; I'm certain that my ~7 miles of walking each day help me stay in shape.

You've probably heard that you should aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. Many people I know find this target quite challenging, particularly whilst working long hours in Doha's summers. I usually average around 15,000 steps per day whether I'm working in Doha or Seoul, whether it's 45°C or -22°C outside. Here's how I do it.

Track accurately. In order to know how far you are walking, you need to track yourself accurately. I love my Fitbit. I wear it all the time: to the gym, to work, to cocktail parties. Everywhere. It's part of my arm and through it I have realized a) how much I walk b) how badly I sleep and that c) that my resting heart rate follows the cyclicality of my menstrual cycle. (How fascinating is the human body?)

Look for opportunities to walk throughout the day. Have 10 spare minutes in the morning? Walk around your building. Take the long way to the water cooler or the coffee shop when at work. Too hot to walk outside? Walk around your office building during a short break from work. Use stairs rather than escalators. Do you have a lunch break? If so, take it. Spend half of it eating and then go for a walk. Don't think, 'I can't walk' but think instead 'How can I get my steps in?' If you have a treadmill available close to you, you really have no excuse when it comes to getting in those steps in the face of inclement weather.

Pick a route (or two) that works and stick with it. Not all of us are blessed to live in gated compounds or on The Pearl. But we can all come up with routes that are (relatively) pleasant to walk along. Sure the sidewalk sometimes disappears in Doha (!) but there are green spaces such as Sheraton Park, Al Bidda Park or Aspire Park that one can walk in. Moreover, Doha is a pretty safe city. I've lived in Doha neighborhoods that weren't the most salubrious, but were perfectly safe. So go for an evening walk. 

Find non-traditional spaces to walk. You can walk through an air-conditioned (or in the case of Seoul winters - heated) mall. Do you have a long corridor in your apartment building? Put on a podcast, learn about the world and walk up and down that corridor.

No. You do have time. Think carefully when you say that you don't have time to complete even the simplest form of exercise. If you spend time watching TV or faffing on your phone, you have time to walk.

Don't be afraid of sweat. I wouldn't advise spending a lot of time walking around in Doha's blazing sun. However, my husband and I routinely go for evening walks even in the summer. Hydrate frequently whilst walking and shower after.

Now get off your phone or laptop and go for a walk! 

JeanneinDoha Cooks | A Few of my Favorite Recipes for Ramadan Dinners and Beyond

Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
(...but any pressure cooker will do!)

I enjoy cooking Indian, Asian-inspired, or simply well-flavored food almost as much as I enjoy eating it! This week on the blog, I'm sharing a few tried-and-tested recipes, and the bloggers and writers who dreamed them up. These are recipes that I return to time and time again because of their ease of preparation and guaranteed flavor, and I think all of them would make wonderful additions to any dinner spread over Ramadan and beyond.

Before jumping on to recipe-sharing, I wanted to take a moment to direct you to a kitchen appliance that you will see pop up a few times in this blog post: I am a major fan of my InstantPot electric pressure cooker. It's inexpensive, readily-programmable and simple to use, and allows you to cook tasty curries, stews and braises relatively quickly. We received our InstantPot as a wedding present. At the moment amazon.co.uk don't appear to have InstantPots available. However, I believe one can acquire an electric pressure cooker at Sharaf DG in the GCC. Alternatively, pick one up whilst on holiday and bring it back with you. I use my electric pressure cooker at least once a week and would be lost without it. You can also make use of a manual, stove-top pressure cooker. I am looking at acquiring one of these as well so that I can be ever-so-cool and have two pressure cookers on the go whilst making dinner!

Turning now to recipes. What Indian meal would be complete without a steaming pile of rice? I love this recipe for saffron brown rice. The instructions are pretty accurate and I find the only modification I sometimes have to make is to add additional water or stock along the way if it looks like we're running low. I also like to sauté some almond flakes in butter and sprinkle them over the top. I would also suggest not scrimping on the saffron.

Let's move on to vegetables. If you haven't yet come across Smitten Kitchen's blog, you're missing out! I have made her cumin junkie cauliflower and potatoes on several occasions.  I do, however, find the recipe a little bland for my palate, so I tend to double the spice quantities shown. I also add a 250 ml. can of coconut milk to the potato, cauliflower and spice mixture as it cooks down. I've made this recipe for brunch and dinner and it's always been a hit 

I have a few other go-to vegetarian recipes in my arsenal. Vegan Richa's blog is full of meals bursting with macro-nutrients. Her vegan chick pea saag served with brown rice has been a lunch box staple of mine. If you don't have a pressure cooker available, you can make it with tinned, organic chick peas and cook your curry on the stove top. I'm also a major fan of this palak paneer recipe from my wonderful neighbor in India, Veena. I've routinely made a "lazy version," cooking thawed frozen spinach with the onions before blending the mixture before continuing as directed.

Pressure Cooker Beef Curry | Pressure Cooking Today

Meat! If you're new to my blog, you would be forgiven for thinking that I'm a vegetarian given how many veggie-oriented posts I have shared to date. I love my vegetables and try to be mindful of the quality and quantity of meat I'm consuming. However, this is not to say that I don't love a good lamb or beef curry. I've made this beef curry recipe in my pressure cooker and it's been a hit with my husband as well as with dinner guests. My Heart Beets is similarly filled with pressure-cooker friendly, largely paleo curries and other main course ideas. A word of caution - this blogger's recipes run on the spicy side, so lower the heat if you don't like getting your sweat on. I liked her goat curry in a hurry (pressure cooker and slow cooker recipes here). 

Spanish Fish Stew | BBC Good Food

We usually have fish for dinner a couple of times a week. Sometimes, we simply pan-sear salmon and serve that with quinoa and steamed veg (I try to follow the Gordon Ramsey's "scored skin" method for searing salmon). On other occasions, we try something more exotic. This Spanish fish stew from BBC Good Food  is amazing! I usually include some saffron to the stock for added flair. I also add the 'parsley with ½ the garlic and lemon zest,' at the beginning of Part 3, rather than at the end. This is beautiful served with cous cous and grilled courgettes. Tip: for those of you who live in Doha, Megmart has frozen wild salmon that works well. I have also had success with My Heart Beets' Kerela fish curry which is beautiful and aromatic over rice with a light salad.

Happy feasting!

Please note that pictures used in my article are drawn from the original blog or web posts. I have the food photography skills of an aged ram, and therefore defer to the capabilities of those far more talented than myself.

JeanneinDoha Explores | Expatriate Life in Korea: Part 1 - On Understanding

As many of you know, I divide my time living between Doha, Qatar and Seoul, South Korea. I have spent the better part of the past seven months working in Seoul and have been struck by a few things during my time here. In this post, I will share some of my musings, as I try to learn more about my home away from home. This is a post that I have drafted, redrafted and picked apart on several occasions, as I found it hard to convey the breadth and nuance of my experience. 

My first few weeks in Seoul were a whirlwind between settling into a new job, getting accustomed to long periods away from my spouse and acclimatizing myself to my environs. Seoul is one of the world’s most densely-populated cities. Very little ever pauses and I found its hustle, bustle, sights and smells just that little bit daunting. As a foreigner, I stood out in an otherwise broadly homogeneous population. Having previously lived in very multicultural cities, the feeling of being an obvious 'other' was initially difficult to internalize. 

Concurrently, however, I was also struck by the shy warmth of those around me: colleagues who, without question, helped me with the simplest of everyday tasks that had become enormously difficult due to my rudimentary Korean language skills; strangers on the street who offered help simply on seeing my befuddled face as I tried to navigate the city - the list goes on. My first six weeks in Korea were challenging but ultimately exhilarating.

Looking back, a few things have helped me on my journey so far. I'm trying to learn Korean. Whilst street and subway signs in Seoul are usually displayed in both English and Korean, you'll need to pick up some of the language if you would like to effortlessly trawl through supermarkets and understand food labeling, read many menus, book appointments and so on. My progress is tediously slow but I see every coffee ordered in Korean, every 'thank you' and every compliment or bemused look I receive as I stutter through the simplest of sentences as a small victory. 

Moreover, as one learns the language, one comes to better appreciate cultural subtleties. I try to pay attention to local etiquette and everyday rituals, like remembering to hand my credit card over with both hands rather than one. I try my best to gently explore the culinary landscape. I try to make friends beyond the expat bubble and through them learn about cultural inflections that I would not otherwise have been aware of. And whilst I don't always succeed in doing so, I try to focus on the positive learnings from my experiences. 

Inset picture of Seoul, South Korea (Reabirdna/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images)

Laundromat: Ai Weiwei's Installation at the Doha Fire Staion Art Gallery

Ai Weiwei’s Laundromat installation, currently on view at Doha’s Fire Station Art Gallery, displays clothing and belongings abandoned by Syrian and other refugees at a makeshift camp near the village of Idomeni on the Greek-Macedonian border.

I was surprised to see a politically and socially-relevant exhibition of this kind in Doha as it invariably raises the question of how regional actors ought to respond to the plight of displaced people on their doorstep. The content of this exhibition is similarly unsettling. We see clothing in color, freshly washed and pressed. The shades of muddy brown, so often associated with poverty, aren’t visible here. The items on display also tell us a little bit about the their former owners, who we quickly realize were individuals of taste and means.

The arrangement of the display is equally striking. Walking between the rails of clothes, one is beset by claustrophobia. If you have visited the Holocaust memorial in Berlin and walked between its blocks, you may have experienced a similar urge to observe from the outside rather than to explore from within. The floor, in turn, is tiled by a news feed of collected articles about refugee crises past and present. Symbolically, one has to walk over these to observe the refugees' possessions in any detail. Finally, one arrives at the countless rows of shoes. It is hard to ignore the lone running shoe or the glossy pink pair of children’s rain boots.

In a country where there are seemingly more malls than people, with countless empty shops and thousands of rails of ignored clothing, this exhibition is of added poignancy. Easily, one of the highlights of my year thus far in Doha, I would strongly recommend that you pay a visit to this installation.

Laundromat is on display at the Fire Station Artist in Residence Garage Gallery until 1 June 2018.

Dining Reviews with JeanneinDoha | Sampling Cucina's New Menu

Cucina, the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha's Italian restaurant, has consistently been one of my favorite dining spots in Doha. My husband, Matthias (occasionally referred to on this blog as Mr. JeanneinDoha), and I had our first date at Cucina. Three hours, a pizza and some pasta later, I knew I had met the man I wanted to marry. Perhaps even the serving staff knew something magical was afoot. We dined at Cucina with family the evening prior to our wedding. A year later, a group of our closest friends hosted us there for our first anniversary dinner party. Many of our fondest memories as a couple center around this restaurant and its rustic interiors.

Cucina has had the same menu for almost as long as I can remember. Matthias and I had it quite happily memorized and it never disappointed. So when I learnt, via Instagram, that Cucina had launched its much-anticipated new menu, I was keen to try it out. And so, Matthias and I headed over to the restaurant on Saturday evening on a quest for pasta.

Cucina's new menu

On entering Cucina, we noticed that the Marriott had not just introduced a new menu for the restaurant, but had also updated some of its previously tired-looking decor, and the addition of further soft lighting had considerably enhanced the ambiance. Moreover, the staff had picked up a little Italian along the way: our hostess, Marjorie, greeted us with a warm 'buonasera' and seemed genuinely keen to talk us through the menu, explaining the new additions, describing the provenance of dishes and pointing out the chef's recommendations. Whilst polite hosting staff are ubiquitous in Doha, those that endeavor to learn more about the cuisine they are serving and seek to engage in conversation with guests are few and far between. So it was heartening to see that the Marriott had not just thrust the new menu on to their staff, but had helped them understand it as well.

Now to the food. After gobbling up the complimentary crusty bread (still steaming from the oven) and the generous accompanying portion of sun-dried tomato pesto, Matthias and I tucked into the tagliere da condividere. The arancini were the stuff of dreams, luxurious on the inside and crisp on the outside. The bresola was light and not overly seasoned and the burrata, buttery and inviting. (Note: on writing this review, I realized we were served a slightly different version of the tagliere than marketed on the menu. Ours was lovely either way and I was too enamored with the cheese to notice at the time). Our board of bruschette e crostini made for a tasty accompaniment. The caramelized onion bruschetta was my favourite.

On to our second courses. Matthias opted for the minestrone soup which he found pleasing, whilst I was excited to try out the agnolotti di carne. I am particular about my pasta in Doha and only choose to eat the freshly-made variety in restaurants. Cucina never disappoints. The al dente agnolotti were filled with a light meat mixture and the accompanying meatballs were dense and rich. The dish's highlight for me was the sauce. Whilst a little saltier than my palate usually prefers, I appreciated its smokiness and general depth. One suggestion would be to alter the plating style. It's hard to see the shapely crescent agnolotti under the layer cheese topping, and the large plate is perhaps slightly unnecessary. 

Stuffed and short of room for further courses, we settled back into our chairs with full bellies. I will admit that I miss some of my old menu favorites, such as the salmon with crushed potatoes and olives. But we are looking forward to returning to Cucina to explore more of  the new menu and try out, in particular, the ossobucco.

Many thanks to the Marriott Marquis' Carol Braganza and Karen Castillo for organizing our dinner, to Cucina's Chef Trovato Claudio for his delicious cooking, and to Restaurant Manager, Fabrizio Depascale, for his attentive service. We had a fabulous evening and encourage you to try out Cucina's new menu soon.