Sports Awards

This week Max and Simon attended their year-end Sports Award ceremony. They both received MVPs and Coaches awards!

Max played on three Varsity teams this year: Swim Team, Basketball, and Track and Field. He won Most Valuable Player for swimming and was also the captain of the Boys Varsity Swim Squad. He also won Coach's Award for basketball, which is given to the player that brings energy, and commitment to the team. Max was also the Captain of the Boys Varsity Basketball Team and gave a Captain's speech at the ceremony.

Simon played on four teams this year: Junior Varsity Volleyball, and Track and Field; and Varsity Swim Team, and Basketball. He won Most Valuable Player for Volleyball and the Most Improved Player for Track and Field. (Pictured above with his friend Bader from the Volleyball team.)

Hedgehog Hunting

Last weekend we had a new adventure! We joined a couple of researchers from the Qatar University who are studying Ethiopian Hedgehogs in Qatar. Apparently these critters have been in Qatar for decades.

First we practiced holding baby hedgehogs that were just 52 days old. They are a bit prickly but sit quietly for several minutes.


Then we went to a farm maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture for growing palm trees. On this farm there are wild hedgehogs. Our task was to quietly wait in the dark for a hedgehog to move. When we spotted a running hedgehog we also ran after it and gently tapped it on the back. This causes the grown hedgehog to roll into a ball with its spikes out (protecting itself). We then picked up the hedgehog to allow the researchers to check its antennae and tracking system. Then we gently returned it to the ground where it unfurled and ran away again.

Tim and Max were successful at spotting and chasing down a hedgehog. When it is closed up a hedgehog's head and underbelly is completely invisible! It is like a prickly ball and does not move.

We also saw a couple of desert foxes, a wild peacock high up in a tree, large lizard holes, and many evening birds. It was a fun evening!

Max's Decision

It has taken several months, lots of prayer, and hours of searching for information but Max has made a decision to attend the University of Waterloo in September 2016. He has been admitted to the Honours Chemical Engineering CoOp program.

This program is five years of continuous study and work placements. By the end of his degree Max will have 8 semesters of course work and 6 semesters of work experience.


Some of his studies will be in Waterloo, Ontario but he is also looking forward to an international exchange at the University of Leeds in England. This is an exciting opportunity for Max because he has been accepted into the Nuclear Engineering program at Leeds. Nuclear is a branch of Chemical Engineering. Max debated for weeks about which university to attend; both Waterloo and Leeds have great Engineering programs. In the end he chose to return to Canada. Max moved away from Canada when he was 10 years old. We have visited Canada every summer, which makes Max a true Third Culture Kid, with all of the challenges and benefits. Returning to Canada for university will give him opportunity to learn about his home culture and solidify his roots as a Canadian. He will also be closer to extended family in Nova Scotia and therefore able to spend holidays being spoiled by his grandparents!

Walking Path

For most of this year Lisa has been exercising in the gym, rather than walking around the compound path. The gym provides more consistent temperature, effort and heart rate. But this week, before the outdoor temperatures get too hot, she is walking the path around the compound and marveling at its sights.

Today it was just 30 degrees Celsius which made for a pleasant trip. The only flowers blooming are the hibiscus but the grasses and greenery looks great because the sun has not yet scorched it off.

There was a also a little excitement as the gardeners felled a large palm tree. The tree died of an infestation of some insect. There was a lot of haggling for the axe to cut the trunk for removal. Apparently the Nepalese gardeners especially enjoy this sort of work. Palm trees are a very soft wood and not good for fires because they burn too quickly.

Birthday wishes

Yesterday was Lisa's birthday and she had a wonderful relaxing day spent with those she loves! A special time with Max at the Mall because he needed a break from studying for his IB exams. And a delicious lunch with two special colleagues from UCQ. And then a very quiet evening with Max, Simon, and Tim watching "Good Morning Vietnam!"

Construction

The roads all over Doha are in a constant state of rubble these days. The newspaper recently reported that the road construction is 35% completed in preparation for the 2022 World Cup. The tunnels for the Subway system are also 80% dug.

Day to day our route to school and work changes depending on the construction. And one morning we discovered these cement pumpers working in the middle of a RoundAbout near our home. Usually we count cranes......