Last Day of the Semester

Most students know that the last day of classes don't usually have big assignments, so they don't bother coming to classes. Since Travis has to still go to class to teach, he figures they should have to come to class, so he offers and incentive. If they come, they get to meet his kids. Not a bad deal, and those who show up are glad they did. Here is Leoni seeing how she likes being a university student.

Machu Picchu

I have always wanted to visit Machu Picchu. About 10 years ago, my parents were Mission President in Bolivia. I went down to visit them for a month and planned on taking a "small" side trip to Peru to see Machu Picchu (hereafter referred to as MP). At the time, my dad said I didn't have the money for something like that - which was true - and crushed my dream. I felt it was such a waste of being relatively close and not being able to take advantage of the situation.

With my job at Qatar University, I am able to request funding to attend or present at various conferences throughout the world. I found a couple conferences that I could submit a proposal to, and then got accepted to and received funding for Peru TESOL. I managed to schedule my travels so that I could do a whirlwind trip to MP.

This was in the middle of the summer break, so what would Lindsay & Leoni do while I was away? I wanted them to come with me, but that just wasn't a practical option this time. So much of our summer was dedicated to balancing time with both of our families, it was difficult to figure out when we could visit Lindsay's grandpa in California or her aunt and cousin in Utah (since time in Utah was mostly dedicated to my family). We decided that this would be a good time for Grandpa Tubbs and Aunt TTT.

Shortly before my flight, L&L flew down to California. Lindsay's mom drove down and those three generations of ladies spent a few days with Doug (the fourth generation of that picture) in/around Fullerton. Then, L&L flew back up to Utah and spent the weekend with TTT and Emery.

In the meantime, I arrived in Cusco, Peru, on a Tuesday, and spent the day wandering around the city. I left early the next morning to take the only means of motorized transportation from Cusco to MP: about a 4-hour train. Some people backpack a few days along the Incan Trail to get there. The train goes all the way to a little town - Aguas Calientes - at the river's edge below MP. However, I got off the train about an hour early to hike along the Incan Trail the rest of the way, with my guide.

I hiked up (about 500m) and along the mountain for about 8 hours (only expecting a couple hours) visiting a few different Incan sites until we (my guide & I) arrived at Intipunku (the Sun Gate) overlooking MP. By that time, it was approaching sunset. We descended down to a bus which drove down a series of switchbacks to Aguas Calientes to stay the night.

The next morning, we got on a bus to go back up to MP with my guide. We went all over the site to see and learn about the incredible work of the Incas. There is one section that you can hike up to to overlook MP, but this involved getting up extra early to wait in line to get a permit. I enjoyed sleeping longer.

After a few hours at MP, my guide returned to Cusco and I wandered around Aguas Calientes until my departure back to Cusco on the train. I wandered around Cusco a little the next morning and then left for Arequipa that afternoon. My conference was great, especially because of some the people I met there.

I felt a little guilty going without Lindsay, but she reassured me by saying that we may never have the opportunity to go as a couple or family and I should take the opportunity. After visiting, I am very determined to make sure that Lindsay also has the opportunity to go some day.

Overlooking Machu Picchu from Intipunku

Affluency

There are a couple areas on the Women's Campus for dropping off and picking up students. The minimum age for driving in Qatar is 18, and many of the students start their studies at 17. Also, in a society that is known by some to be somewhat protective of its women, a lot of the female students don't drive. Some girls ride a university-provided shuttle bus to campus. Most have drivers or family members bring them. But, only in a country that has reached unimaginable wealth in such a short time would one see a Rolls-Royce waiting to pick up a university student. Well, maybe a student from the Upper East Side would be picked up in a Rolls, XOXO.

Qatar University, Women's Campus

Qatar University

I teach. I teach the English. Lindsay posted that we are in Qatar because of my job. We realized that after getting a Master's in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Langauges), and as a mono-income family, we could live in the US and be somewhat financially-challenged, or we could venture overseas and make enough to provide for the family and our future. That's just the breaks of this field. So, I accepted a job at Qatar University.

Thank you to Flickr and the photographer Maryam for this lovely shot of the Women's Library.

At QU, all of the students are Arabs, which most often means they are Muslim - yes, there are Arab Christians. Most are from Qatar, but there are a few others from various Arab nations. After matriculation, some are still at a low level of English. So, they enter the Foundation Program, where I teach. After passing through the Foundation Program - usually two years (or testing out of it early) - students work on their regular programs of study where the medium of instruction is English or Arabic. All of the student body is divided into two campuses: men's and women's; I teach women, level 2. We work on reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills that they need in order to be successful students in their regular university programs.

This is a great opportunity for me to develop professionally and gain experience. We have been - and will continue to be - blessed with many great benefits and opportunities. Also, so far, this is a great place. Who knows? We could see ourselves living overseas for only a short while (my contract is initially for three years) or for many years.

A "Q" is always followed by a "U"...or is it?

Maybe in the English language, but not in the case of the country Qatar. That is where we are. There are a few other words in English that balk at that rule, but all that I found are of Arabic origin.

"Where is Qatar?" you might ask. The majority of Americans who have even heard of Qatar only have the connection of it being where the Decepticons first attacked in the first Transformers movie. First, I have not seen any Decepticons. Second, I haven't seen the mountains portrayed by Hollywood either.

Qatar is a small peninsula off the larger Arabian Peninsula. Its border connects to the east side of Saudi Arabia, and it juts out into the Persian Gulf.

We live in the capital, Doha, where the majority of the country's population also resides. For more info on Qatar, you can click here for the Wikipedia version.

You may ask, "Why are they there?" The short answer is, "Travis is teaching English at Qatar University in the Foundations Program." More on this at a later time. We are excited for the adventures we will have here.