On the Town, Finally

Hello friends! I hope you have been well! I have been busy settling into the end of the academic year and making arrangements to walk the globe and explore before returning to see you at the end of July. Also, I have been spending time in personal reflection and laughing until my face hurts with Doha people I've come to love so very much.

It feels good to laugh again. An honest, true, full smiling face laugh.

Speaking of walking the globe and exploring, and speaking of Doha people I've come to love so very much, I'd like to tell you about absolutely the best date I've been on in 11 years. What? What is this news? What is this you say? Ha! I know, I know, these are the juicy gossip things many of you wish to know about "my life in Doha". I've had really unique (eye-roll) experiences here passing as a "date" if you define that word as " a pre-arranged meeting time between two persons with similar interests wishing to spend time together".

(read: bad dates) I've also had some fun experiences with men who have become

close friends - in a country that can be very lonely if you don't know where to place your mindset and your time.

Fortunately, I came here with the mindset of making as many global friends as possible and looking to make the most of my time in travel and exploring cultures and food and things like that. I came here to research school settings, policies, and approaches to curriculum. I also came here with personal job goals, looking to add to my personal work achievements. But that hasn't stopped me from continuing my lively approach to "sometimes a girl just wants a cup of coffee" (wink).

It is both easy and difficult to meet people here in Doha, if you don't know where to place your mindset and your time. Living in a country that is an 85% Expat Male Work Force, it's easy to be offered said cup of coffee, and it is easy to refuse said cup of coffee because there's much to do here and I've got that stuff to do. I've met lots of people (women too) through a variety of social activities, at church, clubs, "friend of a friend working here", and MeetUp groups. Anonymity what it is here on the blog, I'd like to tell you about my experience with Time, Karma, and Patience, in my night on the town (finally) with the man from Australia I'll call GQ - as in GQ Magazine Model.

Why call him GQ? Well, the magazine website states

"The publication focuses on fashion, style, and culture for men, though articles on food, movies, fitness, music, travel, sports, technology, and books." - quite an eclectic set of articles for today's modern, global man, and this is a good summary of the man I know.

I met GQ in December by way of a travel exchange MeetUp message board. He messaged me first. (Initiative. Check.) I was instantly inspired by his profile photo on a grassy hill, in front of a mountain range that would make you fall to your knees, aviator sunglasses reflecting the best of what Mother Earth has to offer.

Oh, to see the world through his eyes.... Curiously enough, his profile indicated he'd been to some of my bucket list countries, and speaks a few languages I'd like to learn.

We messaged about travel, food, work, social life in Doha, and came to the realization that we had more in common than we thought. He's a Spiderman guy, I'm a Thor girl, but I did rappel down a building for charity, so having experienced the Spiderman Thing, I see why everyone loves Spidey. Working many hours, always being on call, and travel taking him away from Doha frequently, his mindset was on making friendships here in Doha, and suggested we attend an event together to, well, meet up. I, not being one to pass up a cocktail on a lovely rooftop bar, agreed to meet at his suggestion: a group event. (Not meeting alone in a scary location. Spidey senses. Check.)

We had a lovely evening, never actually making it into the larger group conversation, and the conversation flowed easily and well into the late hours. Exchanging numbers so we didn't have to use the messenger anymore, it was a really great evening with this new friend. (Interested in friendship. Check.)

What I really appreciated the most about meeting GQ that night was his easy and relaxed confidence and charm. (Also super cute. Check.) Being with him did not feel forced, conversation came easily, our sense of humors matched, and it felt like having a holiday drink with a friend I haven't seen in months. (Little did I know about how time and patience would play here.)

Time passed as he traveled. I traveled. He worked long hours at a really sweet job. I worked lots of paperwork, curriculum, and concerts with my sweet kiddos. We texted funny stories and moments of our months that passed and sent photos of "nauseatingly romantic sunsets" and "disappointed to watch alone beach views". No matter which country he was in for work, I always received helipad photos (sweet job), dinner tables, work offices, mountain views, and city skylines.

It was March before our schedules connected again and we could meet for a drink at an event at a crowded beach party for St. Patrick's Day. Again, it was good to see him out, and again his relaxed aura, his confidence, charm in his smile all reminded me of someone I knew a few years ago. We wound up separated due to the crowd and our own friend groups, there were just too many people around, but we connected, even sent a message in the crowd that night, we were together even for just a moment in time, and it was fun to see him.

Again, time passed, photos sent, messages exchanged, jokes about the bad dates I've been on, work emergencies, but always an "I'm thinking about you" text floating through. It was really endearing that at his brother's wedding (there are 4 brothers and one sister for 6 kids total), in another country, time zones away, he sent me photos of the entire event, and a selfie with him and his mother (she is gorgeous, btw).

GQ, my friends, is friendship on the globe personified.

With a second attempt at best efforts, we finally managed to connect our schedules and went out June 8th for a lovely evening, sans group friends, just us. It was officially a "date" defined as one defines dates.

Time.

GQ apparently lives 1km from my apartment. I always consider things of neighborhood life, such as "who is in line 5 minutes before or after me in the coffee shop", "who else stood here at the grocery", "who else jogs this street" because I love people. I love meeting people and I love watching people.... so to find out he's moving in the same circles as I am is intriguing as you think about how life tosses people together on the globe. GQ arrived on time with his inviting smile, charming personality, and stylish manner, and when I got into the car, he said, "What did you have planned for us this evening?" Immediately, sarcasm started flying back and forth about high-maintenance women and social requirements, women this and men that, women are in charge of planning dates, men are in charge of planning dates, and how some people are so ungrateful, even when you plan out a whole nice evening they find little things to complain. Neither he nor I are this type of high-maintenance, we are socially versatile (both a blessing and a curse) so I suggested this little Chinese place, on the 46th floor, overlooking the Corniche with a gorgeous view. He laughed and said it was on the list of places he thought of for the evening.

Karma.

The A/C was not working in this place. It was nearly 30 degrees Celsius (86F) inside, and the ice in our drinks couldn't keep up. We ordered tapas to share, looked out over the city streets and the bay and laughed about how we finally made it out together to enjoy just our company. No phones. (I took this photo when he went to the washroom). No distractions. Just us. We talked about job goals, travel plans, luggage (one of my favorite conversations with global people is to converse on "what bag do you decide to take") our families, holiday plans, work issues, etc. etc. as if no time had passed between the last time we saw each other in person. An entire evening talking about Karma.... our actions in Qatar and on our travels, here and there, previous states of "here" and "there", things that decided fate and things that determine where we go from here.

Patience.

We couldn't take the lack of Air Conditioning after two hours so we tossed around ideas for a few smaller places and wound up a block from our apartments at this little club with a live band of Filipino singers and musicians playing cover tunes. When the band took the requests of a table of 3 lonely men sitting off to the side and went into the opening chords of "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie, I lost it laughing because the lyrics of that song completely describe the last 6 months of knowing GQ, answers he and I have each texted in parenthesis.

Hello (hello! hello!)

Is it me you're looking for? (I'm not in Doha that week, what about the next?)

'Cause I wonder where you are (nice photos! what's the weather like there?) And I wonder what you do (there for a wedding/work, hey check out this museum!) Are you somewhere feeling lonely, or is someone loving you? (guys on the work trip at dinner. I would like to see you when you/I get back.)

Tell me how to win your heart (where are you traveling next? when are you back?)

We sat for a few more drinks before realizing that it was Saturday (we work Sunday to Thursday here), and while I am still on Eid holiday, GQ had to work the next day, it was well after midnight, and I respect the fact that after returning from whatever turmenazerbjspainarabianuzbekistan country he had returned from earlier in the week he was tired and had paperwork to fill out in the office early in the morning.

We had both patiently waited for this evening. I was sad to see it end, and my heart did a little leap when he placed his hand on the small of my back as we left the little club. Patience. Good things that are meant to be will always find a way. You cannot rush them or it or the concept. Nothing, and no thing, can prevent what is to be from being. GQ came in for a club soda before the official end of the evening and we had a few more laughs. A perfect and charming ending to a perfect and charming evening with my amazing GQ Model.

Aside from the other two, brief times GQ and I met, I haven't had an actual date like this in 11 years. Easy. Relaxed. Charming. Graceful. Elegant. Nothing felt forced, conversation came easily, our sense of humors matched, no pressure, no airs to be placed, no trying-to-impress, and it felt like simply being out for a drink with your super sexy looking best friend.

Time. Karma. Patience. The three things that seem to sort out all of my life's adventures. With a proper mindset, anything and any idea is possible.

"Oh, wonderful," you ask, "But how long will it be before you connect again?" Interestingly enough, he took off his watch when he was having that soda, and whether or not he accidentally left it on my kitchen counter is up to you to decide. I messaged him but he had already arrived home, said that he'll be back for it soon...

Time.

Until then, we'll keep messaging, making the calendar work for us, and I'll just keep watch.

Slainte.

St. Regis Sea View Cabana Lookout. Friend's Day Out.

31 May 2019