What is a legacy? It's planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.

Hello readers! Lately I have been feeling extra inspired to write, and I have more free time on my hands than usual which is a rare treat!

One thing I am working hard on is removing toxic people from my life. I wear my heart on my sleeve, which means that I tend to get hurt a lot. I take a lot of things personally but I have learned that I refuse to change myself for others. There are always going to be haters. There are always going to be people who want to bring you down. The answer? Don't let them. Always take the high road. Like my girl crush Michelle Obama says, "when they go low, we go high." Do not ever sink to their level. Rise up.

Like Ron Burgundy says, stay classy! But don't be stuck in his ways from the 70s and treat women like crap. It's 2016 and us ladies are queens and deserve to be treated as such!

My to do list of activities I want to do in Doha continues to grow. I envy some of the teachers at GEMS Wellington because they got to see camel racing! GEMS Wellington is literally walking distance and right next to my school. Thank you Lee and Rachel for the pictures! Camel racing is a traditional sport in Qatar. I cannot wait to find a weekend to go and get the experience for myself.

They went to Al Shahaniya Camel Racetrack. According to Google Maps this is approximately 20-30 minutes of a drive from Barwa City. Qatar itself is about the same size as the state of Connecticut to give you an idea of how 'big' the country is.

Zoom zoom zoom look at em go! The camels can go up to 40 mph when running short distances.

Another place I am interested in checking out is the singing sand dunes in Doha. I did not even know they existed until an article about them popped up on my Facebook newsfeed. It is a 30 minute drive away and is a must see/hear. It is one of thirty locations in the whole world that these singing sand dunes exist. Other places include North Africa, South Africa, Middle East, Chile, and the US. There is a very informative article about it on dohafamily.com by a woman named Kim Wyatt if you would like to learn more. 

I have heard rumors that there are libraries somewhere in Qatar. This makes me very happy because before I worked at GEMS, I worked at the local library in my town for 3 years. And I absolutely loved it. I loved the people I worked with. I loved being a page and putting the books in order on the shelves. I loved being a circulation desk clerk and helping customers check out books and having chats with them discussing what books to read next. The library was and continues to be my happy place. According to dohafamily.com here are some of the following libraries in Doha: Doha Mums Children's Library, The Nitty-Gritty, and Maktaba Qatar. I am working on learning to find out where exactly these libraries are and if they are open or still under construction. This would be a great field trip to take my teacup humans to! 

RIP Gene Wilder you are surely missed! I am a huge book worm. I am also working on setting up a book club again with any of my coworkers that are interested. It really helps that work life balance to use books as an escape from reality. I sometimes find myself becoming too consumed in my work and forgetting to have some fun and treat myself every now and then.

I also want to go to Zekreet. One of my coworkers is very adventurous like me and she went rock climbing there. So if you are a daredevil then you definitely should check this place out! Zekreet is in the northwestern point of Qatar and is about an hour and a half drive away from Barwa City. It contains some old ruins such as the Zekreet Fort which has been around since approximately the 18th or 19th century. As a history major I am definitely interested in checking out these ruins and exploring another section of Qatar I have not been to yet. I have done indoor rock climbing- this could be my chance to take it up a notch and try outdoor rock climbing! 

Chardae is a fearless, rock climbing dare devil like me! This is her doing some rock climbing in Zekreet. She is super brave and awesome.

Alhamdulillah! 

Another key to a happy life in Doha is networking. Find people to spend time with outside of your workplace. There are two ladies that made their way into my life last year and really helped me out last year when I was going through a rough patch. They are also teachers and it was enlightening to hear what it was like at their school, how they were managing it, etc. I looked forward to meeting them for night walks at Aspire Park or around Barwa City once a week. It is always helpful to find friends who make a good sounding board every now and then. You cannot bottle it all up. Not a healthy choice! When I lived in BCA I would jog/walk laps in the basement. Probably not the healthiest of options because there were always random funky smells down there. Hello cancer! Just kidding. Maybe. But I would jog/walk in the basement because it was usually too hot to do the laps outside around the apartment complex. In the winter time I would do it outside, but you had to be alert for any cars and get used to the honking of cars on the road. The best way to avoid this is to blare your music and focus on getting exercise! 

Listen to Elle Woods, she's right!

And to end my blog on a positive note, I do my best to stay positive. I want to again give a big shout out to all the teachers out there. The beginning of the year is tough to get back into the swing of things. Switching the teacup humans from summer mode into school mode is not easy. Just remember that you are awesome and doing the best you can. This is something I continue to remind myself. For me personally last year, November was the most difficult month of my life. I had to push myself so hard to come to school each day. I loved my job and looked forward to seeing my teacup humans, but I was so unbelievably drained. My energy level was nowhere near the level of my students. Plus it is not easy being in a foreign country, trying to find the time to Skype with your family because you miss them, adapting to a new culture, and adapting to my first full time job. So much of adulthood was thrown in my face last year but you know what? I persevered and lived to tell the tale! There are still plenty of adventures that await me and I take them on with open arms. You can do it teachers. It does not matter where you are teaching, it is a tough job and takes a special kind of person to take on this profession. Just remember that you rock. 

This chart/graph is used just for first year teachers, but honestly I think any year teachers find this to be true. Teaching is a difficult profession. The school year is like a roller coaster. It has its ups and downs. You just have to keep trying, push yourself, and in the end, it is so incredibly rewarding. 

My project that I am currently working on to keep my mind busy and focused is learning some more Arabic! I have been making flashcards for different words such as the color words. I always tell people that you can get by a lot if you know these 3 words and I guarantee you will hear them a lot:

1. Inshallah = God willing
2. Yalla = C'mon let's go/hurry up
3. Hallas = Finished/done 

Some other useful words include the following:
-Schwi = little/slow down
-Walla = I swear to God
-Tamam = Okay
-Shukran jazeelan = Thank you very much/thanks a lot 
-Min fad lik = Please

It is also good to know the meanings for different animals. Calling someone a dog or a pig is very offensive. 

This is a book I got as a gift from one of my co-workers at the library I used to work at. She gave it to me before I made the journey to the sand pit in August of 2015. Inshallah I will become bilingual =) 

Now it is time to get back to studying and make some more flashcards. A big shoutout to my 6th grade science teacher Mr. Golluscio who introduced me to this awesome study habit that has helped me for years. Cheers to being a lifelong learner! 

No man is a failure who has friends.

Hi all I hope you are doing well! September was a stressful month for me. Not completely surprising since it is the beginning of the school year. I managed to survive the first week of school. I was completely and utterly exhausted. I adore my teacup humans, but they are exhausting. I have also gotten to know some of the new teachers. I refer to them as the newbies because I am still working on learning their names. I did my best to reach out to them and make them feel welcome. I remember how absolutely overwhelmed I felt when I first stepped outside tan city.

This was so me. I remember having the jitters last year and tossing and turning. My brain loves to play the "fun" what if game. If there was an award for worrying I would get the gold every time! 

This was also me. But I was also restless and trying to complete the never ending to do lists going on in my head.

During the Eid break I wanted to do dune bashing/desert camping. My roommate hasn't experienced it yet and it was one of my favorite activities we did last year. It was starting off as a small group but then the idea popped into my head to ask the newbies if they wanted to join. Then together we joined forces and formed Dumbledore's Army! It was a blast. One of my coworkers even made a video of the whole adventure with her Go Pro. Thanks Ashleigh for the awesome video it captures dune bashing/desert camping perfectly!

My Canadian squad minus one AKA my awesome roomie. She was busy taking in the view. Love you ladies. 

I am so grateful to have these wonderful ladies in my life. They keep me sane. And yes those are kid sunglasses on my head. I realized I did not have any sunglasses so I made a trip to the Lulu Department Store... they only had kid's ones. So I got some cool green ones that have the alien from Toy Story on them and they fit my kid sized head! 

During the dune bashing there's different stops where you can step out and take in the view. That tan in the distance is Saudi Arabia. Thanks Mairtin for playing paparazzi!

The weather for it was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold, just right! 

Our SUV got a flat. So we had to come together as a team and push it out. Push em out shove em out way out!  

Watching the sunrise from the Persian Gulf. Thanks for the awesome shot Samran! I ended up staying awake all night. I was too happy to sleep. It was just a perfect night. I had been looking forward to this night all week. It was one of the many things that pushed me through the tough work week. 

I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago. It did not go exactly as I planned. I have the "lovely" habit of putting everyone before myself and forgetting to take care of me. The best birthday present I got was my mom surprising me and flying all the way out from NJ to see me. I was feeling really stressed out and having her here just seemed unreal to me and was just what I needed. I took some time to show her around Doha and show off my new home. Part of me was overwhelmed with the task because there is just so much to do. And so many people I wanted her to meet. In my mind I was like "Oh we need to do this brunch, go to this mall, go to the souq, visit my school..." and the list continued on. I had to stop myself and prioritize what I wanted her to see because her time was limited. I wanted to make sure she got the Doha experience. Because it really is a whole new world over here.

Safari Mall is definitely unique. Very different from Villaggio! This is where many of the workers shop. Their work bus will drop them off here. 

Checking out Safari Mall. 

Safari Mall can be a bit... intense. But it does have its uses. It has a currency exchange, places for men to get their hair cut, passport photos, and also this optics/eye care place. Al Jamal Optics is helpful if you are planning to get your license out here and you wear glasses. If you live in Barwa Commercial Avenue (BCA) you can walk there if you are feeling daring! I did it a few times last year. I recommend some good walking shoes if you are up for the challenge.

I took my mom to the Villaggio mall because it is one of my favorites. What's not to love with a mall that has stores from home, all the label and fancy schmancy brands like Cartier, Dolche and Gabbana, etc. Oh and did I mention that there's a gondala ride? And a hockey rink? And an amusement park for kids to go to complete with a mini roller coaster and other rides? Because it has all that and more. It is nice to see restaurants from home like TGI Fridays, PF Changs, McDonald's, KFC, and others that I know that I am missing. We opted out of the gondala ride since my mom is not a fan of boats or anything on water. It's still on my bucket list of things to do in Doha!

The Villaggio mall! It is my favorite mall since it is close to Barwa City. Behind that sign is the hockey rink. 

My mom loves Crocs. She could be their spokesperson! 

We also did a Hop on Hop off Bus Tour. This was a great way to get a preview of the different places of Doha. My mom was definitely overwhelmed and unsure of how to get around. It brought flashbacks from when I first did it in August 2015 back when I was a newbie. I remember it was much hotter because we did the tour in August when it was at least 40 degrees Celsius AKA 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Once you hit triple digits out here, it's just boiling hot. It is not a dry heat which most people believe. Since Qatar is a small peninsula off of Saudi Arabia, I think the sea breeze makes it humid. Really humid. Like you just stepped into a sauna. Or joined a bikram yoga class. Actually one of the ladies I met on the tour teaches yoga and she told me when she offers classes. Word of mouth is the best way to communicate and connect with other expats in Doha. I also got to meet a fellow Hufflepuff. She was so kind and chatted with my mom and I and I learned some more info about Doha. Always ask questions! Like wise Dumbledore says, "Help will always be given to those who ask for it." If you don't ask for help or don't reach out, then the answer will always be no.

The Doha bus tour! The best time to do one is at night. It gets too hot during the day. We made it halfway through our day tour. But hey it was free so no complaints here!

Some important numbers and prices. I definitely recommend the bus tour. It gives you an overview of all the hot spots in Doha. 

This is the lady I met on the bus tour who teaches yoga. Her name is Connie and she offers yoga classes in Doha. Check out her Facebook page if you wish! 

It was great to finally meet Susan! Hufflepuffs unite! We are both members of a Facebook group called HRC or Hogwarts Running Club. If you like Harry Potter and are looking for a positive outlet and supportive people then I highly recommend joining. It encourages people to work on their fitness and share a love for Harry Potter. Which if anyone knows me, I definitely love HP. It's nice to have an escape from reality every now and then! 

 We visited Souq Waqif and my mom loved it. It really does feel like you have jumped into the middle of Aladdin. It reminds me of the farmer's markets from back home in the States, but with a Middle Eastern twist. She got a necklace with her name in Arabic. She also got other souvenirs for my sisters and aunts back home in the US. I was bursting with questions and loved learning where the shop workers were from. Everyone has a story to tell and I was eager to find out where they were from. Many of the workers are from countries such as Nepal, Syria, or Bangladesh. And it just hurts my heart knowing that their wages are so low, lower than what I make. Doha can be a tough place to live and like anywhere, there are some things that can be frustrating. But I have learned that you have to have a growth mindset and always focus on the positives. You may be going through a tough time, but chances are someone is going through an even more terrible situation than you. You never know what battles a person is facing. This is why I always choose to be kind. You always have a choice in how you treat someone. You can be rude, mean, and hurt someone's feelings. Or you can choose to be kind. That kind gesture may be the one thing that brightens a person's day. Make them feel noticed and appreciated. Actions speak louder than words, friends. Always remember that.

The swirly whirly mosque! Actually it's called Fanar, the Qatar Islamic Cultural Center. According to Google. 

I forget where this guy was from but his job from what I guessed is to push around trash in the wheelbarrow or to carry people's things around for them. This was just me being an obnoxious goofball and striking a pose. 

We stopped and had some food at The Village! It brought back memories to when I ate there last year with a big group of the GEMS teachers. Apparently they have a business lunch for only 59 QAR Sunday-Thursday from 11:30 AM to 5 PM. Definitely a bargain! Their food is great. 

They also have animals at the souq. The sad part about this is that they are kept in cages and rarely get time out. There are also bunnies, cats and dogs. The crazy cat lady in me wanted to free them all from their cages and let them free! 

The cats knew immediately that we were crazy cat ladies and came over to us right away. 

We got Arabic necklaces from this shop in the Gold Souq. I highly recommend it because the prices are fair and the necklaces are good quality! Shop number 83 is the way to go. 

Since we were in the Middle East I had to give my mom the experience of riding a camel. This was on the Sealine Beach Resort. We did not get a chance to go to Fuwairit Beach. Fuwairit is a private beach where you can see turtles and where they lay their eggs. It had been closed due to littering and driving, which was scaring the turtles away. It is also on my list of places to visit along with watching camel races! They are a popular event in Qatar in the winter time.

Strike a pose! 

I've been through the desert on a horse with no name... 

I don't have my license and am scared to drive the crazy wild roads of Doha so we relied mostly on Uber and Karwa. Both of them you have to be careful. Sometimes the drivers will try to scam you or say that their meters aren't working. One thing I try to keep in mind is that a lot of these drivers are in a worse living situation than me and most likely need the money more than I do. But at the same time it doesn't mean it is ok for them to try to overcharge me! 

Life has been kind of rocky for me lately. I am working on getting things back on track and am so grateful for having such a caring and understanding boss. And also grateful for everyone in my Doha family that has been so supportive. I am taking some time to focus on my needs. One thing I am working on reminding myself is that my needs are just as important as everyone else's. You should not be putting yourself last. In fact you should always be number one! Be your own cheerleader. Because you are awesome.



I am going to get on my soapbox for a minute here, but since it is my blog, I can say or do what I want. I want to talk about a word called gaslighting. This is something that I feel everyone should be more aware of. Gaslighting is used by manipulative people who twist your words around and take no responsibility for their words or actions. It makes the victim AKA you question your sanity and memory of events. Phrases such as "you're too sensitive" or "get over it" or "you take everything so personally" are some examples. The best example of gaslighting I can use with current events is Donald Trump. He does not take responsibility for anything and is a master of double talk. He contradicts himself constantly and no one has a clue what exactly he stands for. When I am traveling on trips and I tell people that I am from the US they always ask me what I am going to do if Trump wins the presidency. First it started off as a joke, but now it is a serious issue. He has made it this far, election day is only a month away. I know that I do not want a hot headed, quick tempered bully anywhere near the White House. He is selfish, greedy, and does not have the country's best interest at heart. All he cares about is himself. This is not the type of person who should be president. I would rather have a president who is calm, cool, and collected and will think before they act or speak. It is 2016 folks, the US is ready for a woman to take charge.

Anyone who knows me is well aware that I am completely obsession with Hamilton. I kind of feel like this year's election is like the election of 1800. Aaron Burr vs. Thomas Jefferson. Donald Trump is like Aaron Burr 2.0. No one really knows what he stands for and all he does is talk in circles. People are iffy about Hillary because of mistakes she has made in the past. Let's be honest. People are extra hard on her because she is a woman. Donald Trump may not be the worst choice but between him and Hillary, I think we all know she is the better choice.  

And to end this on a positive note, I want to give a big shout out to all the teachers out there. The beginning of the year is a difficult time no matter how many years you have been teaching. Just remember that you are awesome and doing the best you can! I took my mom on a tour of my GEMS school and loved showing her my room and also taking some time to look at other teacher's bulletin boards. As silly as it sounds bulletin boards stress me out. I will spend hours looking at bulletin board ideas on Pinterest. It was nice to have some spare time to see what other teachers in my school had. Teachers are kleptos- we are always taking ideas from each other!

The staircase up to my room! I love that they have math facts on each step. Sometimes I nearly trip going up them because I get distracted staring at the multiplication facts. 

The library AKA my happy place. Even though I brought books from home I would still check out library books each week. Teachers are allowed to check out up to 30 books.

My roommate's door! I love how it looks. I think one of the keys to a successful classroom is to make the kids feel welcome and that they belong. 

Grade 3 bulletin board! My roomie also did this one. Who doesn't love minions? 

This is my friend Felicia's door! She did an aquarium theme and I love it. Something about the fish theme makes me feel so calm when I go to her room to talk to her or stop by to say hi. 

I am the one thing in life I can control. I am inimitable I am an original.

Hello friends I hope you all had a fantastic summer! I definitely made the most of mine and tried to visit as many people as I could. I felt like a celebrity- people were so excited to see me! It was so great being back in the States. My highlights include a trip to Canada with my sisters, our first ever and soon to be a continued tradition of sistercations, driving as much as humanly possible, and shopping at Target and the Dollar Store to load up on supplies to bring back with me. The Target dollar section always manages to pull me right in. My sister's dog got plenty of walks as well because I was ecstatic to be able to walk along sidewalks and be around my pets again.

True story. Ok I didn't spend THAT much but all I came in to get was name tags... and I left with a cart filled with school supplies. Resources are low over here in the desert so I knew I needed to stock up!

This first week of school definitely had it's challenges, but in a different way. This time I flew back to Doha knowing what to expect. I am familiar with the school. I know how to get around Doha. I already have the necessary things to survive in this country AKA my residency permit, my QDC license to get my essential adult beverages and pork products, and I already know a good chunk of the teachers there already. I was eager to get my class list and see who I would have in my class from the previous year. I ended up with three of my teacup humans from KG2D.

Now I will be honest. I had a bit of I guess what you could call an identity crisis on the first day. I got a restless night of sleep, anxious and eager about the first day back. Then I met the kids and I got a giant case of 'what have I gotten myself involved into what was I thinking changing my grade level'? Plus after getting all these new kids and seeing my kids from last year in the different classes thinking to myself 'why didn't I loop so I kept the same teacup humans for this year too?' I left for the day feeling discouraged. I was having doubts about moving to grade one and missing KG2 because it was familiar and had been through a year of it. But you know what? I pushed myself far enough out of my comfort zone by moving out to this sand pit, and I told myself that I wanted to gain experience in other grade levels. I have a gift to give and I need to ensure that I am spreading it to as many teacup humans as possible.

My front door! Last year it was stars, this year it's legos. You have to keep it fresh!

 My motto at GEMS has been to learn by doing. People who have met me know that I am not the most outgoing person in the world. Well once you know me I can be. But we all act differently depending on who we are around. So I continued to push myself to try things. I was debating with myself what I would do when the kids first arrived because I didn't want to do too much stuff that I did in kindergarten in case it was too babyish for them since they are a bit more independent now going into grade one. I am constantly scouring around Pinterest for ideas.

This right here is a prime example of learning by doing. I saw this either on Buzzfeed and Pinterest and decided to give it a try. I thought "Oh perfect! I can keep stuff in the pouches right on the backs of their seats like a book to read, a white board and marker for them to draw on if they finish early and are looking for something to do! Yeah except for the fact that where they tie in the front of the chair digs right into their little teacup human backs. "Miss Kellie this is hurting me!" and whenever they would get up the Home Depot aprons would slide up and down or end up on the floor. It was also hard to squeeze the white board in the aprons. "Miss Kellie I can't fit my board back in." These lasted 2 days before I took them off the chairs.

One of the main things I like to do in the beginning of the year is different ice breakers and games to get the kids familiar with each other. I refer to them all as 'friends' because I want my classroom to feel like a community and somewhere they can feel safe. I had a good morning song that I did last year, but I wanted to try something new. One thing I found online was this bumblebee song. I was hesitant at first thinking 'no they won't like it they'll think it's babyish.' But I did it anyway and guess what? They absolutely love it and we did it every single day this week because the kids asked for it. The chant is the following: 'Bumblebee, bumblebee, tell us your name! Say it real loud and we'll do the same!' We sit in a circle and I have a child say their name and then me and the rest of the class echo it back loudly. They sit there quietly in the circle eagerly waiting for their turn where they get to say their name and all of their friends echo their names. The most rewarding part of this activity was that the autistic girl in my class got involved. This was the first time that she showed interest in what I was saying. She picked up on the lyrics so quickly and was clapping and cheering along with us. I think it is so important to have a morning routine like this or have the students say good morning to each other. It really helps build a classroom community and helps the kids learn each others' names.

Setting my classroom up was interesting. I tried to organize as much as I could before I went home for the summer. But the funny thing that happened is once I stepped into my room in August, I seemed to have forgotten my so-called organization! I saved so many of the different word work activities I laminated and cut out from last year figuring I would use them this year... only to stare at it in confusion wondering what I had used it for in my class last year. Some of it I threw out... the rest of it is sitting in a plastic tub in one of my cabinets until I can sort through it in all of my "free time."

My room! I chose to go with the horseshoe pattern for my seating in order to ensure I had room for 25 teacup humans.

 The main part of my classroom that I was most excited to set up was a map. One of the coolest parts of my job is having such a diverse class. This year I have kids from the US, Canada, Qatar, Lebanon, Portugal, Egypt, Sudan, Algeria, Turkey, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Mozambique. Now getting the map to Doha was a hilarious adventure. I got it from Canada when I went there over the summer for a sistercation. I got the map from a discount store in Toronto called Honest Ed's. Some of the most asked questions in class, especially during Social Studies is "Miss Kellie where is Doha? Miss Kellie where is my country?" So I decided to buy the map for my classroom and label the different countries where my students are from. First I left the map at home and realized on the way to the airport that I forgot it as well as the keys to my apartment in Doha. I went back and got it and on the way to Doha had a layover in Paris, France. I was sitting and waiting for my connecting flight until we finally boarded. I realized as I got to my seat on the plane that I left the map underneath my chair in the gate where I was waiting. I raced to the exit and told the flight attendant my dilemma and she said that I could not get off the plane. She let someone else know and said they would look for it. I went back to my seat and then she beckoned me back and told me to bring all my things with me off the plane. By the way, people absolutely LOVE when you are moving one way down those narrow walkways to get off the plane aka against the flow of traffic of people trying to get onto the plane. Another woman led me back to the area and I quickly snatched up the map and waited in line to get back on the plane. Needless to say this map has definitely made its way around the world!

1A around the world! The map is from a discount store and Russia is labeled Russian Federation so it is a little outdated, but my teacup humans don't care and neither do I!

The first week of school was a whirlwind. Any teacher knows that. What's cool is that I can reuse some materials that I used from last year. Yay for not starting from scratch! Simple things like dismissal sheets, a Tell Me About Your Child sheet as a way to get some background information about the child, labels, etc. that can be reused again. I entered this year feeling more confident about myself. I now have a year of teaching under my belt. Yes I am still a newbie when it comes to teaching, but I have a slightly better idea of how things go in the classroom. And after trying different things for 180 days, I learned a lot during my first year. And I know I will continue to learn a lot during my next 180 days.

This is similar to one of the bulletin boards I did last year. They love to see whose birthday is when. The only change is that I added myself to the bulletin board! I decided to after realizing I had the same birthday as one of the girls. I could tell she was excited about it when I told her that September 12 was an extra special day because 2 people had birthdays.

One of the proudest moments of my education career thus far occurred today during dismissal. Dismissal is not exactly the most calm time of the day. In fact, I absolutely dread it. We are a new school. GEMS is in its third year and we are working on finding a system that works best. GEMS contains students from the grades Pre-K to 10. Now imagine the parents of grades 1-10 standing all over the front lobby of a school. Now imagine the teachers of those grades bringing their students down to that lobby for dismissal, in no particular order. It is a bit stressful to say the least. Thursday I took all of the teacup humans who are picked up by their parents from my class and one other grade one teacher. One of those teacup humans is my autistic girl. I have to hold her hand as she walks down the stairs because her coordination is not the best. I carried her down the stairs and we stood near the staircase because that is where the grade one teachers stand by. I have to constantly hold her hand or she will wander off. Sometimes I have to let go briefly to make sure I am keeping all the other first graders nearby and rally them all in. Needless to say my heart is always racing and my head is swiveling all over the place as kids suddenly run off towards their parents and gradually the number goes lower. I grabbed my autistic girl and pulled her close to me and she was playing with my name tag. She looks at the picture of me and says "Miss Kellie" and kisses my picture on my lanyard. It instantly brought the biggest smile to my face and all the anxiety ceased to exist. This sweet girl that I have only known for 5 days has already grown such a strong bond to me. It was an incredibly powerful moment for me.

Terry the head of our school has said time and time again that you have the power to make or break a kid. From the moment they step into my classroom at 7:40 to the moment they leave at 2:30, I am a role model to them. You need to shower them with praise. Encourage them. Show them that you care. Kids don't learn from people they don't like. I strive for the success of every single child that has and will enter my classroom. I have a big heart and love to make people laugh. Nothing brings me greater joy than to hear kids giggling as I am dancing or singing up there for them making a fool out of myself while they say "You are so silly Miss Kellie!" Put me in front of a group of parents for back to school night and I am sweating bullets. Put me in front of a group of kids? I turn into this silly, loud, crazy performer that will do anything to keep her kids interested in learning.

Eid Mubarak to my friends who celebrate! We are now on vacation until September 18 when school resumes after Eid Al Adha. It honors the willingness of Ibrahim to sacrifice his son. I plan to spend the next 9 days by relaxing as much as possible! I am excited to do desert camping and dune bashing for a second time and to spend some days by the pool reading and probably burning my pale Irish skin. That's all I've got for now friends. The first week back was a tough adjustment and I need some sleep! Stayed tuned for more about year 2!

Traveling solo does not always mean you’re alone. Most often, you meet marvelous people along the way and make connections that last a lifetime.

Wow what an incredible week in Germany! Germany was always one of those countries in the back of my mind in Europe that I wanted to see but I didn't think it would happen so fast! I was fortunate enough to go to Munich and Berlin for a week and had some hilarious and awesome adventures along the way. I got pretty well acquainted with the 2 cities. 149,928 steps and 59.81 miles according to my Fitbit! I was a little nervous at first about the idea of traveling on my own, but I wouldn't change a thing. When you travel on your own you learn a lot about yourself, and meet really cool people along the way.

The day that I left for Munich was a little nerve wracking. I was flying out the same day the attack on Istanbul's airport Ataturk Airport, and I had a stop in Istanbul. It was not through that airport but a smaller airport in Istanbul called Sabiha Gokcen International Airport. Fortunately my flight was not cancelled (all flights at Ataturk were). Needless to say my family was pretty concerned and wanted many updates. They were hoping they could reroute my flight (I kind of wanted this too) but I kept the same flight. It really is such a shame there is such violence and conflict in Turkey because from what I saw from my airplane window, Istanbul is a beautiful. The whole world could do with less hate and a whole lot of love am I right?

I am happy to say that after nearly 10 hours of traveling, I made it to Munich! And it was beautiful. I was overwhelmed and so happy to see all the rolling hills and an unbelievable amount of green... everywhere. My first mission when I got there was to find where I was staying. I chose to stay at Airbnbs in Munich and Berlin. Airbnb is a website that allows people to list, find, and rent housing from all over the world. Now you are probably thinking "But Kellie... you were traveling on your own, is that really the best idea? This sounds like the beginning of a Criminal Minds episode..." Trust me I was very judgmental when I was browsing through page after page of potential houses and apartments! The whole process of registering with an account on Airbnb has its difficulties too. You need to provide a scanned copy of a government issued ID such as a driving license or passport. It took me a few times because it is very nitpicky over whether your scanned copy was clear or not. When choosing my housing for Munich and Berlin I purposely picked places where I was only renting the room and the families were still at their house. This way I wasn't completely alone at the house and if I had any questions about the area then I could just ask whoever I was staying with. My advice if you are ever planning to use Airbnb? Do your research. Make sure you pick someone that has a lot of reviews. For both places I picked I also got a notification that said it was rare that this housing accommodation was available because they were usually booked. So I trusted my gut and went for it and was happy with both choices!

Hello Munich! You're looking beautiful!

Some views from around Hermannplatz, which is where I stayed in Berlin.

Right across the street from my Airbnb. Yay colors!

 The first day I got to Munich I knew I wanted to go to the BMW Museum. Trip Advisor as well as many other lists suggested that the BMW Museum should be one of your stops. So I played tourist, checked it out and it was pretty cool. The first thing you see is these silver beads floating in the air on strings that are constantly moving. It took me a few minutes to realize (and someone else pointed it out) that they were moving to create the different outlines of different cars! It was cool to see all the different vehicles BMW has created over the years.

Vroom vroom!

One of my favorites. Love the artwork!

This was really cool. This has all the labels from every BMW ever made. It was hard to get them all in one shot!

After I finished exploring the BMW museum, I still didn't feel like going back home. I wanted to explore some more! So I helped myself to a soft pretzel (the first of many!) and went through a little place called Olympiapark. It was beautiful! I think living in Doha AKA tan city just makes me appreciate color even more and makes it extra special when I visit beautiful parks. Sri Lanka took my breath away and Germany definitely did too. Olympiapark was built for the 1972 Olympics and it is absolutely gorgeous. And it had grass! And the grass was real! I literally laid in the grass for... at least a half hour. And I wasn't the only one. You look around and see other people sleeping in the grass, people taking their dogs for walks, people jogging and biking, and people just strolling and loving the view. I was a little anxious that day about tackling this big city all by myself, but relaxing in this park chilled me out.

A picture I took while laying on the grass. Such a beautiful blue sky! With lots of white fluffy clouds.

Olympic Tower

My goal was to climb to the top of the hill. Challenge accepted and completed! Words of caution: watch where you are walking because I nearly got run down by bikers at least 3 times.

View from the top! My company at the top included dogs, couples, and bikers.

Wandering back down the hill. I spent about 3-4 hours just getting lost and exploring this park. It's so beautiful.

The sun stays out so late during the summer! Way nicer than the sun setting around 6:30 in Doha.

Day 2 involved me taking a free walking tour of Munich through a company called SANDEMANs. I cannot recommend them enough I did walking tours with them in both Munich and Berlin and they were fantastic. They offer free walking tours in 18 cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dublin, Edinburgh, Hamburg, Jerusalem, Lisbon, Liverpool, London, Madrid, Munich, New York, Paris, Prague, and Tel Aviv. If you are planning to go to any of these places and want to get to know the area, use them! Ben from Ireland was our tour guide for the walking tour of Munich and he was great. I also met a cool and fun group of guys and ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. The best thing about doing tours like this on your own? You meet other people traveling on their own! And you get to hear about their adventures, where they've been, and get even more ideas for places that you want to travel.

This was my Munich squad! We stopped here for lunch. Our tour guide recommended it and I tried pork knuckle- it was amazeballs. I attempted to blend in by putting my hair in braids. 

Mary's Column. This was the meeting point for our tour! I walked right past it and ended up doing a big circle around Marienplatz (the central square in the city center). Fortunately I found an English couple and was SO HAPPY to hear English and they pointed me in the right direction!

New Town Hall or Neues Rathaus. Funny enough it looks older than the Old Town Hall.

Old Town Hall.

The front and center of New Town Hall. In the middle of it you can watch the Glockenspiel. Every day at 11 AM and also 12 PM and 5PM in the summer it chimes and reenacts two stories. The first story is the marriage of Duke Wilhelm V (founder of Hofbrauhaus!) to Renata of Lorraine. The second story is the coopers' dance AKA the beer barrel dance.

One of the unluckiest buildings in Munich- the Opera House. This building has been burnt down 3 times! They did try to learn from the fire after the first time. They took in some preventative measures by installing in a kind of sprinkler system and had a bowl of water at the top to put the fire out. However another fire occurred in January... and the water supply was completely frozen. Their next idea? Make a human chain from a nearby pub to the Opera House. Then fill up huge mugs with beer to pass down the line to put onto the fire. As you can imagine... that plan didn't work out so well either... and the opera house burnt down.

Hofbrauhaus! A very famous and popular beer hall in Munich for tourists.

A very cool piece of history. This is Dodger's Alley. In Odeonsplatz near the side of one building, there was a memorial Hitler installed. When people passed by they were required to salute the Nazis. Not everyone was in favor of the Nazi party and they would 'dodge' that route and take a detour down this road instead, which is known as Dodger's Alley. However the Nazis were clever and caught onto this and questioned people on the street when they took this route. If you didn't come up with a good enough excuse then your name was taken and you were thrown into one of the concentration camps. But the people did it anyway! Stand up for what you believe in!

Before we went to the Englischer Garten we hit up St. Peter's Church. For 2 Euro you can walk up the 300+ stairs to the top and get this amazing view!

It was very easy to get my 10k steps each day on this trip!

New Town Hall from up top

 After the tour ended we ventured into the Englischer Garten. It is the largest urban public park, even bigger than Central Park in NYC! Ben warned us about this, but there is a part of the park where you can sunbathe nude. The people who actually partake in the nude sunbathing- not the people you want to see! We happened to see a 70+ year old man proudly walking/jogging/strutting around in his birthday suit. Scarring? Yes. Was it like a bad accident because it hurts to look but you just can't turn away? Yes! You have to give him props though for having that confidence. The only one... walking around naked in the park. And then to join a yoga/exercise class in the park later on! Otherwise, the English Garden was wonderful. We even got to see river surfers on the Eisbach (Isar River) which was so cool to see. Shoutout to Nick for all the recommendations of places to visit in Munich and Berlin!

The Chinese Tower or the Chinesischer Turm. I suppose we could've climbed the stairs to the top... but we chose to have some beer instead. Because that's what you do in Munich!

River surfing!

How can you not just want to skip and frolic through all of that!? Bonus: not a naked old man in sight.

Day 3 I took a day trip to Nuremberg. I didn't know much about it besides the fact that the Nuremberg Trials were held there. It was a fun day where I got to see lots of churches and some castles. I attached myself to a family from Manchester and they welcomed me with open arms. They've been coming to Germany for years so I picked their brains for places to check out. They knew way more German than me and were able to give me some helpful tips. The rules of escalators in London apply the same way in Munich and Berlin- stay to the right! Otherwise you will get someone behind you barking in your ear 'Entschuldigung!' as they zoom past you on the left. Some say it politely, others you can tell in their tone they are saying 'get out of my way before I run you down.' I had some of the best bratwurst in Nuremberg and enjoyed the sites.

Scale model of Nuremberg. Obviously we didn't get to all of it in one day but we covered a decent chunk of it!

The King's Gate. One of the main entrances to Nuremberg.

Part of the Nuremberg castle.

Cool but slightly morbid fountain. It's a shame Nuremberg's main fountain Schoner Brunnen was under construction because it is gorgeous!

One thing you learn reaaaal fast in Nuremberg- its NOT flat. Wear good walking shoes!

Old town hall in Nuremberg

Walking over to Zeppelinfield. This was the Nazi party rally grounds.

Congress Hall. It is inspired by the Colosseum. The building remains unfinished.

This is the main site in Zeppelinfield. This is where Hitler would stand and make his speeches on the platform.

And here's me being a typical tourist and getting my picture up there. Gasp! Bare shoulders! Clearly we aren't in Doha anymore.

And my last day in Munich was spent on a bike tour with a great company called Mike's Bike Tours (thanks for the recommendation Diana!!) to see the beautiful Neuschwanstein castle AKA the Disney castle. This is the day that I fell in love with bike tours and if I ever go to a country that has bike tours then I will do it! Biking in Germany is as popular as beer and ice cream. In other words, lots of people partake. Mike's Bike Tours is a fantastic company to tour with. All of their staff is extremely friendly and accommodating, very personable. During the second half of the tour, the rain hit. The sky was looking iffy for most of the day and it's a wonder it held off for as long as it did! Ponchos definitely came in handy. It was still an awesome day and I had a blast.

If you're concerned about the idea of doing a bike tour like I was at first- they go at a very slow and leisurely pace! The point is for you to take it easy and to take in everything around you.

Neuschwanstein Castle! Ain't she a beaut? This was built by Ludwig II who was obsessed with fairy tales. And he was a little cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. His death remains a mystery... but there are plenty of theories out there!

My new residence!

Nice lake that we had the option of swimming in.

"Flying history!!" our tour guide Brad excitedly told us. Apparently this is one of the few that remain in operation. In the world. I think he said it was one of the Ju 52 Junkers... I could be wrong about the number though. See that sky? That'll come into play later!

Lunch time! Hello roasted pork and Bavarian pasta. And beer of course. That's my friend from Malaysia in the background.

One thing that I should have looked into a little more was how long this day tour to Neuschwanstein lasted. As we took the 2 hour bus ride towards the castle, our bus tour guide informed us we would get back to Munich around 7-7:30 PM. This is the part where my stomach clenched tightly and I had a minor panic attack. Why? My flight to Berlin was scheduled to leave at 9:30 that night! So I told myself that it would work out, I probably wouldn't need to be at the airport too early anyway since it was a domestic flight, just one city in Germany to the other! And even if I didn't make it in time for the flight there was probably another one going to Berlin shortly after that. And the memories for the day were worth it. We got back around 7-7:15 to the main train station and I booked it to the train and ran back to my Airbnb in Hermannplatz. I have never packed up so quickly in my life and amazingly did not leave anything behind. So I took the necessary bahns needed to get to the airport, trying to keep my calm, even though as I approach it's now getting to be almost 9:00 and I vaguely remember reading something when I checked in online that they would not be accepting baggage for the flight after 8:50. Then the bahn I was on decided halfway through the trip that it was NOT going to the airport and was instead going to Freising. So I had to get off and then get on the next train... finally I made it to the check in desk for Lufthansa and sure enough boarding for that flight is closed. The woman told me to wait in another line to see what they could do about getting me on another flight. I had to wait at least an hour in line because there was a flight from South Africa that was delayed and caused all kinds of delays and problems for people who had connecting flights. When it came to my turn I explained the situation. The woman informed me that the next flight to Berlin was leaving at 7 in the morning... for the lovely cost of 390 Euro. I laughed in her face to keep from crying. She told me to check out the train schedule because it might be cheaper and to make a decision about whether I was taking the train or plane because they were closing for the night in 10 minutes (it was almost 11 at night). In the end she was right and I ended up taking a train to Berlin for a much cheaper price! A cheaper price for a 6 hour train ride, which I passed out from exhaustion for the majority of it. Berlin here I come!

My first day in Berlin I spent doing some sight seeing. If you ever visit Berlin and are planning to use the bahn a lot and do sight seeing- get a welcome to Berlin card. It only cost a few extra Euro for the 4 day pass I got- and I saved money on all the tours I went on and got a nice touristy book about the different sites. My first stop was the TV tower/Berlin Fernsehturm. This is a great landmark in Berlin to help you figure out where to go and where you are... and is a great spot to just chill because it has free WiFi! Berlin is much more free WiFi friendly than Munich. From there I did some sight seeing at the Berlin Cathedral/Berliner Dom after my friend Nick recommended it. After I got to the Berlin Cathedral I realized how much of a tourist trap the TV tower was because I really liked the views from the Cathedral better. Ah well live and learn! Berlin is also where I fell in love with Bandy Brooks ice cream and ate currywurst.

Hey Berlin you look pretty good from up here!

Berlin Cathedral/Berliner Dom/Denkmalskirche

From the inside

View from the top! Only 7 Euro to check out the Berlin Cathedral- worth it!

TV Tower/Berliner Fernsehturm

Inside the cathedral. For 1 Euro of course I lit a candle!

I love seeing green in Germany!

Of course I had to sit and relax here for a bit. I think that's an art gallery in the background.

Not a bad view near Bandy Brooks while eating ice cream eh?

Currywurst! Sausage cut into pieces + ketchup + a sprinkle of curry powder = yum!

My next day in Berlin started with SANDEMANs walking tour with our guide Sam. He was hilarious, incredibly knowledgeable, entertaining, and a great storyteller. I learned a lot from him and loved that he threw in Game of Thrones and Star Wars references. One of the girls on my bike tour at Neuschwanstein was in Berlin before Munich so of course I picked her brain for what to do when I got to Berlin. She recommended Fat Tire Tours and I hit them up when I got there. They were easy to find because they were right by the TV Tower. I signed myself up for the evening food tour since I had the walking tour during the day. It was probably my favorite tour the entire time I was in Germany because we had a really good group for it. The bike ride started off at Museum Island where we made a toast (Fanta and other soft drinks for the young-ins) and then made our way to our first stop for falafel and other Middle Eastern food. We stopped at two other places- one with pork, beef, schnitzel, and that was very filling. We also got a history interlude and got to see some of the Berlin Wall. Then our last stop was dessert for some cake and coffee- yum! I think it was my favorite tour because I talked to almost, if not everyone, that was on the bike tour. It was all different families and couples... I was the only solo traveler in this group. It was so cool hearing everyone's stories about where they came from, where else they had traveled to, and where they were going after this. It was just a perfect end to the day. Never in a million years did I ever think I would be biking around different neighborhoods in Berlin and trying some of the most delicious foods from different restaurants in the area. Thank you Alex, you were a great tour guide (and easy on the eyes too)!

Brandenburg Gate! This was the meeting point of our tour. All the other buildings surrounding this are purposely meant to be boring because it is supposed to stand out and be the most memorable in the area.

...Until a man by the name of Michael Jackson stayed at this hotel. And as Sam hilariously put it "reenacted the Lion King and dangled his baby out the window of this hotel."

Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Our tour guide Sam says he does not like to take tour groups through it. He says he feels it is a private area that deserves respect. You are not allowed to stand on the blocks.

Time for a bit of shopping? Eh no thanks. There's enough malls in Doha!

Really cool wall of newspapers at the cafe we stopped at on a short break during our walking tour.

Some cool artwork that we saw during the walking tour. Right before we got to Checkpoint Charlie.

Julia I could totally see some of your artwork up here!

Part of the Berlin Wall. That's our tour guide Sam. He was awesome!

Fat Tire Tours rocks!

First stop. Hellooo falafel!

Om nom nom get in my belly!

A food tour without beer would be incomplete.

Did I mention that the day I did these tours was July 4? Thanks to the couple from Texas who let me keep this awesome headband! Sometimes during the tour I forgot I had it on and wondered why people were looking at me strangely...

Part of Alex's history interlude. Those poles represent where the Berlin Wall would stand.

What's the best way to get to West Berlin if you can't climb over it because of the barbed wire? Dig a tunnel of course! These marks represent that there is a tunnel underneath that runs from East Berlin to West Berlin.

Berlin Wall

These circles represent people who tried to escape from East Berlin. This one was unfortunately someone who did not make it past the east side. Fortunately after this I did see many circles on the west side of people who made it!

This is where I had some of the most delicious cheesecake! And coffee.

My bike's name was Agnes. I purposely picked her because I have a friend named Agnes! The bikes all had different names like Walter White. Agnes Keyser was a real person. Apparently she was the longtime mistress to Edward VII of the UK. Apparently she held a close bond with Edward VII compared to his other mistresses, and she was pretty well accepted in royal circles- including Edward's WIFE Alexandra of Denmark!

My last full day in Berlin was a little less cheerful but nonetheless something that I wanted to. I visited a concentration camp north of Berlin called Sachsenhausen. Here is where another one of my funny adventures started. I was leaving my Airbnb and heading to the bahn station where we were meeting in the Berlin city center to all take a train to go to Sachsenhausen. Literally right as the bahn was pulling up to the station- I got a nosebleed. I freaked out and ran to a nearby little snack stand and gestured with my hands and asked if she had any tissues and she threw some paper towels at me. Blood is all over my hands and it got on my shirt, I looked like a mess. I managed to make the bahn (I was short on time and needed to catch it in order to meet with my Sachsenhausen group on time). If you have blood on your hands and shirt- people are definitely going to stare at you on the bahn. Some nice guy handed me the rest of his tissues. I casually stood there pinching the bridge of my nose waiting for the nosebleed to stop. People asked me if I wanted or needed to sit down but I said no that it was ok. I just wanted to be as close to the exit as possible and get off and get to a bathroom or somewhere to clean myself up! Fortunately it wasn't too bad and I got off and found where our group was meeting. I asked my tour guide where I could get a new shirt real fast because I didn't want to be known on the tour as the girl with blood on her shirt. I quickly ducked into Uniqlo, got a tank top for 8 Euro and headed on my way to Sachsenhausen! Pretty cool store by the way, reminded me of H&M. If I wasn't in such a rush I would've shopped some more!

Ysanne was our tour guide and she was fantastic. She is very well spoken and filled the tour with lots of fascinating and heart breaking historical facts. Sachsenhausen is located in Oranienburg. It was mainly used for political prisoners and was not intended as a kill camp. This camp was the administrative center for many of the camps, and it was also the training center for the SS officers. You really get a feel for the camp right from the beginning when your guide has you walk from the train station to the entrance of the camp down the same path the prisoners took. It was set up right by a neighborhood. People knew what was happening. Can you imagine something so horrific happening right outside your backyard?

The entrance to the camp. This is where you would give your name and state your crime. One man told them that there must have been some kind of mistake because he didn't commit any crimes and didn't know what he was here for. He was then kicked and beaten bloody by SS officers for his response. When they asked him again he responded, "My crime is being a Jew."

The sign at the entrance of Sachsenhausen. It means 'work sets you free.' It appears at some of the entrances to other concentration camps as well.

Sachsenhausen

2 of the only original barracks in the camp

If prisoners stepped on the gravel in this neutral zone then they were shot on sight. One of the men who attempted many escape was Jimmy James who is known for 'The Great Escape.' He survived and visited Sachsenhausen later on in life. He gave some tours and shared some of his wartime experiences.

Inside one of the barracks. In parts of the barracks and an exhibit dedicated to the Jews, there is evidence of a fire. Ysanne informed us that in 1992, shortly after the Prime Minister of Israel visited, a group of Neo-Nazis set a fire that severely damaged one of the barracks. My tour guide Sam from the other day mentioned this and said how it was one of the most offensive things he had ever heard of. Not just offensive on Facebook or somewhere on social media, but personally offensive. And it is absolutely disgusting. How could a fellow human being burn a memorial to Jews from one of the most horrific events in our history? It makes me sick to think about it. Why can't people learn that love is always better and stronger than hate?

The clothes the prisoners wore. The triangles symbolize what you were imprisoned for. Red triangles = Communists, yellow triangles = Jews, Pink triangles = Homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses = Purple triangles

One thing that every single tour guide I had emphasized was how Germany is talking about and coming to terms with its past. They aren't just sweeping it under the rug and avoiding the subject. They are addressing it head on. The word for it is this (it's a long one): Vergangenheitsbewältigung. It basically sums up how they come to terms with their past, in regards to the Holocaust and the Nazis. It roughly translates to 'Overcoming the past.'

 After Sachsenhausen I spent the rest of my last full day in Berlin at Alexanderplatz. Alexanderplatz was one of my favorite spots to check out. And I also had ice cream from Bandy Brooks. Again. Their flavors are amazing! And for only 2 Euro for a cone how can you say no?

Alexanderplatz rules! Wish I had photoshop skills to take out that one pole blocking the sign!

Meet Ampelmann! This is the symbol they use for the pedestrian signals for crossing the street. I first saw it on my coworker's shirt before I even came to Germany and it reminded me of Breaking Bad and Heisenberg. Now I got to see him in person!

Really cool chalk artwork at Alexanderplatz

So basically I was the energizer bunny during my week in Germany. It was an amazing experience and I would not change a thing. I feel so privileged and fortunate that I got the chance to visit this beautiful country. I can only hope that I am fortunate enough to visit again and see other parts of it! Now I am back in Doha for a few more days until I fly home for the summer. Ramadan has ended and we are reaching the end of Eid al-Fitr, which is the festival/celebration after Ramadan has ended. For expats like me this means that the QDC is open again and we can eat and drink in public again! But all I really want is to go back to the US and see all my family and friends and hug them.

The main point of this entry is that this crazy American had a blast in Germany. And there's a silly story about these sweatpants. Feel free to ask me about it in person, I'm not sharing it on here =)

See you in September for details about year 2 in Doha! Have a great summer friends!