Cats and Dogs

Doha averages 2.5” of rainfall annually… meeting the requirement for ‘Desert’ – (130 degree temps in August also helps).

Since moving here 7+ months ago Sheri and I have not seen a drop of measurable rain fall from the dusty sky. In fact, seeing a cloud is quite an uncommon experience most of the year. So you can imagine our surprise when we woke up last Friday (our weekend) to the pitter patter of steady rainfall hitting our roof. After inspecting our ceiling for leaks – which are quite common in Doha construction, we opened up the shades to see an overcast sky gently illuminating the glistening tennis court below.

*note we do not have a private tennis court in our backyard, but rather our master bedroom on the 2nd floor overlooks the community tennis / basketball court.

It wasn’t the unexpected rain that had us chuckling, it was that our marathon training regiment called for a 13km jog that morning – our longest run since starting our running program. Thinking the morning drizzle would let up, we watched Transformers (still laugh at the ‘Qatar’ scenes), strapped on our shoes, filled up our water bottles, and set out to complete the painful task at hand. 1:15 later we returned, completely drenched from two Houston style downpours, motivated by several honks of support, and ready for a warm shower… the more we prepare for our marathon, the more respect I have for those who actually finish the 26.2 mile journey. Raise your hand if you’ve run a marathon… (ie leave a comment to receive your kudos).

What was a pleasant surprise during our weekend quickly became a nuisance as we drove to work on Sunday morning. Since Doha averages 2.5” of rainfall annually, the majority of roads don’t have drainage systems… feels like you’re driving on day 34 of Noah’s 40 day journey. Couple the poor drainage with the driving habits of the locals and we’ve had some white knuckle commutes this week. Like the dedicated postal worker, neither dust nor speedcamera nor flooding rain will motivate Qataris to drive safely.

With the rain came some cold temps too – dropping into the 40’s at night... before you go on about how cold it is where YOU are, keep in mind that Doha homes rarely have heating. With one terribly inefficient space heater per floor we’ve resorted to sweatsuits and hot chocolate to make it through the nights. Never thought we'd have to wish for warmer weather here.

That's what's going on around our country, what's happening in your neck of the woods?

*Note new link to our Flickr site and some new tunes you should check out on the right margin*