The Honeymoon Stage Is Over

You guys are in for a real treat, because I think I’m particularly funny today.  To escape the endless humor, please select the red X in the upper right hand corner of your screen.  Consider yourself warned.

Lately I’ve been having a lot of 1^st world problems.  If you aren’t familiar with 1^st world problems, they are problems that people living in third world nations would love to have.  Some examples are, “This morning Starbucks was out of soy milk so I had to get skim” or “My fingers are too big for the keyboard on my new I-phone 12.”

I was complaining about one of my 1^st world problems to our board gaming friends (who lived in Oman prior to Qatar).  Here is a dramatization of our conversation: 

Me:  Does your dish washer work well?  Ours never gets the silverware clean. 

Gamer: (full belly laugh) Are you adding salt to the dish washer?

Me: No.  I’m not stupid.

Gamer: (more laughter) You need to add salt.

Me:  (blank stare)

Gamer: Seriously you have to add salt.

The villa showed me up again.  Gamer #1 showed me the secret compartment where you add salt to the dish washer.  I still have no clue why you need to add salt, but I don’t care one little bit because my dishes are oh so sparkly now.

The intent of this post is not to be negative, but the initial moving high has worn off and I am starting to miss simple things that I really used to take for granted.  Things I miss:

1. Obviously all of you
2. Swiffer
• You can only buy mops and buckets here, but the mops stink.  The mops look like the ones the janitors used in your elementary school.  There aren’t any of those fancy mops that fold in half and squeeze out the water.  You have to squeeze out the water but twisting it in your own hands.  Mopping takes ten times longer without my Swiffer friend.  Treasure your Swiffers people, treasure them.
3. Spin and yoga class
• Some times kicking your our butt isn't as good as someone else yelling at you. 
4. Maple syrup
• There actually is maple syrup here, but it costs about $15 per cup.  No maple trees in the desert.
5. Pulled pork sandwiches
• To be fair, I have missed pulled pork sandwiches since moving away from Lawrence, but since pork is forbidden it makes it seems so much better.  I seriously had a dream about Vermont Street BBQ.  It was beautiful.
6. Running being normal
• There are so many things different about running.  People stare at me when I go running.  It is not as common for females to run here, but since sidewalks don't exist I am forced to go run in the most popular park along the ocean.  This park is full of people who like to stare at me.  I can't run in shorts.  On warm days my sweat evaporates automatically and I am just left with a layer of salt clogging my pores. 
7. Sundresses
• I will miss these more in the summer months.  My knees miss sunlight.
8. Seasons
• I'm jealous that I'm not in the monster storm on the East coast. 
9. KU basketball
• Some mornings we wake-up and are able to watch some hoops while eating our cereal.
10. Easy communication

 Last night we embraced the fact that we lived in Texas for three years and did some two steppin' at the Texas A&M Boot Scoot.  There is a branch of A&M in Doha.

 

 

Yes, that is a huge container of salsa between us at the table.  We were very happy.