Dubai, UAE

Less than 48 hours in Dubai ended up being SO MUCH FUN. Due to visa restraints, we were required to leave Qatar. We decided to make the most of it and fit as much as we could into our short trip. Highlights include staying in the world's tallest hotel, visiting an aquarium, going to the Burj Khalifa, riding the metro, regularly sampling ice cream, and skiing in a mall.

so happy to be in the Burj Khalifa!!!

Women and children only on the metro!

We had so much fun!!! So cool to experience Dubai.

An Indian Village

Five things I learned in Adasarlapadu, India:


1. I LOVE INDIA!!

2. I'm terrified of stray dogs, especially when they try to attack me.

3. I am not very skilled at taking bucket showers.

4. How to eat with my hand. Indian people artfully eat with their right hand at every meal and it is FUN!

5. I love Indian bananas. They are tiny and delicious and I ate sooooo many of them in the village.

India

India was a dream come true. Watch my first VIDEO.

We spent the first three days of the trip in Hyderabad, with our new friend/tour guide, Dileep, and trusty driver, Swarmy.

We toured film city, where popular Bollywood films are shot.

Watched some Bollywood dancing. They danced to Jai Ho, my favorite Indian song!

Climbed to the top of the Charming with the group (Mackenzie, Elias, me, Maryan, and Karin).

Took a ferry ride out to a buddha statue.

Discovered THE BEST mango juice ever. The look on my face says it all.

Woke up early to visit the market with Dileep.

Went saree shopping.

Dileep is a pro shopper.

Found Baskin Robbins!!! Wow yum ahhhhh happiness.

My first Indian meal. twas SPICY!!!

I loved Hyderabad. The traffic was crazy and the colors were bright. Everywhere we looked we saw something bright! Next up was a 7 hour long road trip to Adasarlapadu, a village in Southern India, for our friend's sisters wedding. We were honored to be invited to this wedding, and they were honored to have us! We were the first EVER foreigners to visit the village.

Pre-wedding henna

Walking around the village as a local celebrity. Took photos, handed out autographs, and practiced English with the kids.

Wedding tent

Asha and Ramakrishna

A love marriage :'-)

DILEEP!!!

Is it too late now to say Saree?

America

This buffalo was wild.

Back in Doha, as my henna fades, I know the memories never will :'-)

P.S. thanks to Karin and Mackenzie for the pictures, I only videoed!

Hyderabad India

I just got back from an INCREDIBLE trip in Southern India. The city of Hyderabad was our first leg of the trip. Full blog post to come soon, but I'm excited to share my first video with you!

Dhow Boats

These little boats are so fun! We took a trip to see the skyline and enjoy the salty breeze. The water is SO blue and beautiful here, I was seriously mesmerized by the color. Moments like these give me glimpses of the beauty waiting to be found in the desert.

National Sports Day

Qatar takes the second Tuesday of February off every year in the name of exercise. We went to the Islamic Museum Park and played around all day (I also snagged a nap in the sun). Seriously an awesome day created to encourage everyone to stay active.

Red carpet entrance

Free kites for everyone!

A plethora of water bottles for the public

The dream team

Pro paddlers

The day ended with a pan of brownies to gain back all the calories we worked off. Nothing like eating peanut butter and Oreo brownies in the name of National Sports day.

Sand Dunes

WOOOOO!!! I love the sand dunes. We had a peaceful day relaxing in the warm sand, with a majestic wolf in tow. The sand boarding was super fun and speedy. The sand 'sings' when it moves by vibrating and making a groaning noise, which is so cool. The dunes are truly Middle Eastern and awesome. What a top notch day.

Haiti

     I spent five days in third world Haiti during November. I went with Believe in Haiti, a non-profit organization based in Denver as their videographer. It was a dream come true to be doing my two favorite things: traveling and making videos. Haiti was my first out-of-country experience and super dreamy. Being the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere, most people live on less than $1.25 a day. Seeing the poverty first hand, but also experiencing the happiness the people still find was really cool.

     Here is my personal video I made of the trip. View the rest of my videos at www.believehaiti.org under the "Videos" tab.

     We spent most of our time on the mountain with the people of St. Rock. We saw their simple homes, where they get water, and how they live life day-to-day. One day, we were the guests of honor at a feast. The main dish was a goat killed off the side of the road, with sides of fried plantains, lettuce, and tomatoes. The goat was surprisingly not disgusting, but I was not feeling to good for the rest of the trip. Pretty wild experience, definitely something I will never forget. 

The meal of a lifetime

     The country is beautiful. Up on the mountain it was lush forest jungle that was so green and tropical. I loved hanging out with the kids. Basically the only words I knew were "Bonswa" (Good morning) and "Kouman ou rele" (What is your name), so after those formalities were done with, we would play a game, or they would laugh at my freckles and extremely pale legs.

A pig! And me! Some Haitian homies did my hair earlier in the day.

     Our last day in Haiti I wasn't feeling too hot. I ended up super nauseous and totally passed out while visiting a local hospital. Yikes! We made it home and I spent the rest of the week in bed. Haiti was incredible! Loved every minute and so grateful I had the opportunity to spend some time there learning so much.

ARRIVED!!!

Hey everyone! I'm in Doha, and it's been great so far. Loving everything, especially the warmth. I was in airports for about 24 hours, 12 of those hours were on one plane! I actually loved the long plane ride, mostly because of the unlimited movies and juice delivered straight to my seat. I watched the sun rise... and then set a couple hours later. That was wild. I arrived in Qatar late Wednesday night.

We went to the Villaggio Mall, basically Middle Eastern Vegas! The ceilings looked like the sky and the tops of the stores were like houses. There was also an ice skating rink, a gondola boat ride with running water and boat drivers, and a little amusement park. It was so cute! 

Friday and Saturday are the weekend here. On Friday, we had dinner with some super cool people. We played the ukulele and got serenaded by the Ukranian version of Michael Buble - except better. That was a really fun night.

Saturday we went to the Islamic Museum of Art. It's on a man-made island, designed by I. M. Pei. The architecture is seriously incredible, and definitely my favorite part of the entire building. The artifacts dated as far back as the 10th century. My favorite artifacts always seemed to come from Iran, but other countries featured were Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. The details on some of the items were super intricate, even from so long ago. LOVED IT!!! Here is a little video I put together from the museum.

I've been pretty jet-lagged but I think the worst of it is over! Whew. We are 10 hours ahead here. Download "What's App" and sync your contacts to reach me.

?????

"are seriously going to live in Qatar?"
           -yes

​"when are you going?"
          -mid-January to mid-April

"why are you going??"
          -this super cool family gave me permission to go out and live with them for a semester. I think it is an incredible opportunity and I am beyond excited to be with them and in Doha. I hope to learn a lot about Qatari culture and possibly lasso a camel and keep it as a pet.

"where the heck is Qatar?"
          -please refer to the map. Qatar is located in the Middle Eastern part of Asia on the Persian Gulf.  It is a desert climate.

"what about school?"
          -unfortunately, I will not be able to drop out of school like Harry Potter in search of the horcruxes. Instead, I will enroll in online school for the semester.

"where will you live?"
          -in a super safe compound in Doha, the capital, protected from the rampaging camels that sometimes roam the streets (just kidding)

"are you going to be safe?"
          -yes! However, in case of death , I request that the entire Jonas Brothers soundtrack be played at my funeral. 

"wow, you're so cool." 
           -thanks

"will you bring me back a present?"
          -yes. I will bring anyone that desires a pebble from the Persian Gulf, and lots of camel photos, of course.

All jokes aside, I am so psyched to be heading to Qatar. I hope to share my experiences with my faithful blog readers (you), and get you some insight on the woes and whims of a first-time international traveler. I am so excited!! :-)