Roz McCarthy writes:

We spent our last day in Qatar today, and the Middle East International School put on a lovely party for us.  There was a TON of food, as there has been at every meal and every snack.  There was a slideshow of our visit, a small presentation by some students who had spent a year in the US as exchange students, and an American diplomat gave a short presentation about what it's like to work for the US Foreign Service.  All-in-all, it was a great visit, and we hope to be able to host a group from Qatar next year.
The group goes to Morocco tomorrow, flight at 9:55 am.

Roz McCarthy writes:
My plan was to have the students write the blog, but it seems like we are so busy going places and doing things, I never seem to get them to sit down at the computer and write.

On Tuesday night, the whole group and their hosts met at Souk Waqif, a traditional market, filled with small shops that sell traditional clothing, souvenirs, birds, animals, hookahs, and where there are lots and lots of restaurants.

One of the students from Middle East International School donned traditional Qatari robes and acted as our guide.

After a dinner of kebobs and delicious onion bread, we roamed the streets for a few hours.   Our students found new friends in the animal shops in the market.

Mr. Eldigwy stayed with group and they all arrived at school the next day a bit bleary-eyed and draggy.

But it's not like they could just sit around and do nothing.  We promptly hopped on a bus and went to the Islamic Art Museum, designed by I.M. Pei, and it was absolutely beautiful.  The artwork from

the Islamic world was breath-taking.  Each room was dark, but the displays were brightly lit and the pieces were uncluttered so we could really appreciate the individual pieces.  We stayed less than two hours.  Although the students were ready to go (they were all hungry), I could have stayed for many more hours.

Today, we gave a presentation to the whole high school (200 students) about CGS.  We had the PowerPoint show that I use when I visit middle schools, recruiting new students.  Each student narrated a section of the show that he/she was most familiar with.  For example, Johnna spoke about sports and cheerleading; Nadia spoke about the music program and the plays; Lindsey spoke about the student tour to Morocco, etc.  All students did a wonderful job, with almost no practice.  They were exceptionally poised.

By the end of our visit, the owner of the school agreed that he would like to send students to visit us in the fall.

Tomorrow is the Sabbath and the weekend begins.  Students will spend the day with their hosts.  On Saturday, our last full day here, a large barbecue is planned for us with the host families.  I've been told it will feature traditional Arab food.

The school week seems to have flown by.  I hope to get students to write more of these blogs.  Their afternoons and evenings have been filled with hanging out with groups of kids, seeing the sites, having swim parties, and I'm told, eating, eating, eating.

We leave on Sunday morning at 9:55 for the flight to Morocco, stopping first in Abu Dhabi.

Tuesday, April 8 - Isabell writes:

After enduring a ridiculously long flight and almost 25 hours of transit, our arrival to Qatar was met with the smiling faces of our hosts in Qatar.  They greeted us with kisses on each cheek, exclaiming how excited they were to finally get to meet us. Apparently, we’ve been the talk of the high school for the past few weeks, and it absolutely showed by the number of messages my host sister received asking whether or not I had arrived. Walking into the home I was amazed by the interesting decorations:  the walls were painted bright colors and the furniture was adorned with beautifully patterned drapes and majestic looking pillows. We were treated to a light dinner of makeshift pizza sliders and spicy sauce topped bread. Ustez says it’s called Maraquish, but I’m not actually sure. After chatting for while, I was showed to my room, then went to bed with high expectations for the next day.

 We have arrived!  After a long but uneventful trip we landed in Qatar and were met by three people from the Middle East International School, including Dr. John Ramos, former Assistant Superintendent of Norwalk Schools.  Our host families drove up and we had enough time to pose for a picture before everyone left for their first night.  The students from MIS hugged our CGS students on sight, and everyone seemed very excited to finally meet.

During the layover in Amsterdam, our students kept themselves occupied in various ways.  Johnna worked on her math problems, Brian did some yoga moves and finally fell asleep on the floor of the airport.

Sunday

We are all busy packing, getting ready for the warm weather we will experience in Qatar and the cooler weather in Morocco.  Remember to weigh your luggage so you don't go over the 50 pound limit.  Remember your passports!

See you at 11:30 am sharp at CGS on Sunday, April 6

Welcome to the blog for the trip to the Middle East, 2014.  We leave on Sunday, April 6.