About Renee Blodgett

Recent Posts by Renee Blodgett

Don Quixote at San Francisco Ballet

Now, at the San Francisco Ballet, Helgi Tomasson and Yuri Possokhov’s staging of Don Quixote returns in its entire splendor, now with spectacular all-new scenery and costumes by Tony Award winning designer Martin Pakledinaz and lighting by James F. Ingalls. Miguel de Cervantes’ romantic and witty story, placed in the colorful streets of Spain, comes to life with a lively cast of characters, along with the bravado and excitement of some of classical ballet’s most technically demanding dances.

Don Quixote is engrossed in a book about ancient chivalry. He falls asleep and dreams that he is a knight defending his ideal woman, Dulcinea. His vision is disrupted when Sancho Panza bursts through the study door.

The gluttonous Sancho has stolen a ham and a group of exasperated housewives are pursuing him. Startled by the commotion, Don Quixote turns the angry women out of the room. An idea then comes to Don Quixote. He will make Sancho his squire and together the two will set out on an adventure to defend virtue and punish those who transgress the code of chivalry.

Act I

Scene 1: A Square in Barcelona
Outside her father’s inn, Kitri professes her love for Basilio. But Lorenzo, spying the young lovers in the crowd, forbids his daughter from seeing the young barber ever again. Kitri is horrified when she discovers her father’s plan to marry her to the affected nobleman Gamache. The arrival of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza causes a commotion. Don Quixote sees Kitri and mistakes her for Dulcinea, and the two briefly dance a minuet. At the height of the merriment, Kitri and Basilio sneak off, pursued by Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and Lorenzo and Gamache.

Act II

Scene 1: A Gypsy Camp
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and Lorenzo and Gamache have arrived at a gypsy camp in pursuit of Kitri and Basilio,where a dance is in progress. But Katri and Basilio have already departed. The Gypsies invite Don Quixote to attend a puppet show. Watching the performance, Don Quixote mistakes the heroine for Dulcinea. With sword in hand, he rushes forth to save her and attacks the puppet stage. He then confuses a nearby windmill for a threatening giant. Striking out at the windmill to the point of exhaustion, Don Quixote collapses to the ground and falls into a deep sleep.

Scene 2: The Dream
Don Quixote dreams he is a knight surrounded by beautiful maidens in which Kitri symbolizes Dulcinea. At sunrise, Lorenzo and Gamache interrupt his dream. They continue in their pursuit of Kitri and Basilio, but Don Quixote attempts to lead Lorenzo and Gamache astray.

Scene 3: A Tavern
Lorenzo finally catches up with Kitri and Basilio, and forces her to accept Gamache’s proposal. In response, Basilio fakes his suicide. Kitri begs Don Quixote to persuade Lorenzo to marry her to Basilio: the young man’s final death wish. Don Quixote is now sympathetic to the young lovers’ situation. Lorenzo gives his consent, blesses the lovers, and instantly Basilio comes back to life.

Act III

Scene 1: The Wedding
There is much merrymaking as the village celebrates the marriage of Kitri and Basilio. With Don Quixote as the guest of honor, the happy lovers dance for him. He congratulates them, bids farewell to all, and together with Sancho Panza continues on his adventures.

 

Honoring the Strong Female Forces In Our Lives

This week, I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Among “them” was not THE woman in my life who guided me, took care of me, shaped me. That was my grandmother and like most grandmothers of women in their forties, they’re no longer a phone call away.

The benefits of being raised by your grandmother is that you are surrounded by older, wiser women at a much earlier age, all of which have stories, many of which remind you not to take the world….and everyone in it so seriously.

In my grandmother’s circle was an incedible group of women who got together for lunches, martinis, and shopping, even in the 1930s and 40s when they were all healthy, raising children and had husbands that they ‘navigated.’ (see My Mother’s Kitchen – 2004 blogging days) and a dedication to mothers).

All of them strong, yet sweet…the kind of women who didn’t tolerate weak character or housewives without some other mission or job. It wasn’t the south, yet a couple of them had moved north for some reason or another. Most of us were “baked” in that small upstate New York town and with that came things like country fairs, football games, horse farms, 4H, piano lessons, and more sewing and craft afficiandos than wine snobs.

Learning the basics of being a ‘woman’ of that time was part of living in a small town…you know, the traditional stuff: sewing a button, baking a cake, rolling pie dough the ‘right’ way, dance lessons, serving tea. Yet, they absolutely tolerated if not encouraged sports for women. While I regularly played many a’ sport in school, none of these stronger older women who influenced me in my life played a thing.

In their walled garden, which I used to eavesdrop on from time-to-time, they often talked about navigating their family unit. Many women relied on my grandmother’s advice (today, they’d call her a ‘coach’), to help them negotiate things at home, whether it was getting their husband to purchase something to make their lives easier, or being able to work and play more while raising a family of 5, and so on. She was also the master peacemaker and networker.

The constant, common thread woven into all of their personalities was spunk and perserverance. Lately, I’ve been thinking about them more than ever, three gone, four still living. I dreampt about one of them a couple of nights in a row recently and woke up with my heart racing. “How old is she now?” I thought. “Could the dream be a sign that she’s sick and in her last days” I thought. “Is she already gone and she visited me at night to say goodbye?” I thought.

The number I had for Bernie was disconnected which is never a good sign. She was with my aunt and uncle in the driveway waiting for me the day my grandmother died. I was too naive to believe my grandmother would actually die despite a long battle with cancer – remember no one talked about stressful situations then…they just smoked and drank and smoked and drank some more. They didn’t tell me the news in the driveway that day nor did they go with me to the hospital. I drove there alone and heard the news alone from some fatigued nurse who didn’t know who I was and released the information about my grandmother’s passing in a not so gentle manner. I was 16. I had no reaction until I belted in the elevator moments later but without shedding a tear – where was everyone I thought?

Among the faces that came in and out of my mind were all the strong women in my grandmother’s life…my life. I imagined their pain learning the news I had just been given, knowing that not all of them had known yet.  

My grandfather wasn’t in the driveway that day but Bernie had been. Perhaps she wasn’t ‘authorized’ to tell me? I’m highly intuitive and yet something blocked me from ‘knowing’, even after seeing Bernie’s red blotchy eyes on that sad and long summer afternoon when I was “just” 16.

I learned a lot about Bernie and the other strong female forces in my life, almost all intuitively. When we visited her house, I had to pass time while the ‘grown ups’ played cards and drank their martinis. It was the 70s – there were no cell phones, online games on TV or computers.

And, no one had a parenting rulebook that said your kids had to be in bed by 8 every night. It was a time loaded with boundaries, an era when adults dicated the agenda, not children.

I used to crawl on my hands and knees through their attic, unpacking boxes and snooping inside. I’d roam through the closets, dressing myself up in her hats and oversized jackets. Downstairs, I’d hear her strong laughter dominate the table and that beautiful and feminine way she egged the men on exuding her confidence and wit. A gift. I even knew it then but didn’t have a label for it. My grandmother had it too.

Audrey was a little more refined in public yet exuded the same strength and gift. She’s 95 now and lives in Florida, alone. I managed to get her on the phone for a long chat a year or so ago. I feared she’d barely be able to hear me or keep up with my pace, but the first thing she did was drill me, like I was still 18. I smiled as I listened to her first question, which may have come before hello: “are you still playing the piano? I hope you’re still playing the piano” suggesting that my grandmother would be shedding more than a tear had I not let her gift and now my gift, pour out into other people’s silence.

Truth be told, I had stopped playing but a piano remains in the house and I told her, I can’t imagine any house without a piano and will always feel that way. She tells me she’s trying to order music online now (online in her nineties — really?) but some of the music she’s looking for is hard to find. I imagined Colony Music in mid-town would have it I told her, a place I visit every time I’m in New York just because.

Then we got onto men. She’s dating a younger man (mid-eighties) but his eyesight is failing so she often has to drive on longer hauls (1-2 hours). Without complaining, it was clear she did most of the work and I kept wondering, is there ever a time when strong women like us ever get ‘taken care of?” Before we hit the grave? She told me that her biggest beef was that he was a fan of George Bush and she couldn’t really get him to change his mind. “These are the compromises you make for companionship,” she said.

I was reminded to listen to my inner voice…the wonderful intuition that women have, rely on and use regularly for all sorts of things, yet it’s a skill and gift that doesn’t list well on paper or in the boardroom.

When I was 18, I lived out of my car for awhile, not far from where Audrey and her husband lived in Florida at the time. A workaholic from the beginning of ‘life’ itself, I had three jobs, two boyfriends and was eager to save as much as I could for travel. Frankly, rent just seemed like a waste of money when I was working 6.5 days anyway. Somehow my highly intuitive grandfather discovered this through his Sherlock-skills over 1,500 miles away and sent Audrey to deal with me. What was and is remarkable for a woman born at the turn of the century is how much she understood my need to do precisely what I was doing.

They had traveled in academic circles, lived in Paris for awhile and let’s be clear, did not and would not ever have slept in her car or on a park bench in her life. Yet, it was okay that I did, for then. She believed in the process of life and that everyone’s process is different. Her handwritten letters which I receive every year and have since I was ten demonstrate her perserverance, her tolerance and her inner strength - letter after letter, word after word, you can sense her gratitude and faith in the world, and her positive role in it.

Marcie was a long time neighbor who grew up in the south on a farm. She was #8 in a line of 11, her youngest sister from Pittsburg being the only other sibling alive. She has also lost two children of her own and her inlaws husbands and wives are all gone.

When I couldn’t reach Bernie, and countless Google searches didn’t pull up a thing, I called Marcie considering it a universal sign and nod that it’s time to reach out to these strong female forces in my life. It’s these quiet nods that we have to not just listen to, but act on, for it is action on these nods (messages if you like, from our inner voice aka the universe), that allow US to DESIGN our lives, not let someone else design them for us. From this place, we proactively live life, not react to it. We become the creator, not the victim. The designer, not the canvas.

Alongside my grandfather, Marcie taught me to drive. Through the neighborhoods we went in a beat up old Chevrolet. She said, “I was trying to recall how long ago that was again?” Its amusing how much easier it is to come up with a precise number to that question to someone in their mid-eighties than it is to the hot 30 year old man you just met from Argentina.

Three things were on her mind: how much harder it was to do physical things, the climate, remarking how much warmer it was this winter and how odd the weather has been in recent years, and the economy.

I on my iPhone and she on the same square black GT phone she has had in her kitchen since 1966, we talked about my life in the “bubble”, the Silicon Valley eco-system that doesn’t seem to subscribe to recessionary issues that affect the rest of the country. That said, it is increasingly becoming harder for people around me to keep up with the accidental millionaires and billionaires who are sprouting up overnight as a result of some freak paranoia acquisition play by an industry giant.

This led us to gratitude and reality checks. She told me about a time in the early forties when she put an apple on her father’s tab in the country grocer on her way home from school one day and her reaction to the scolding she received when it was “discovered.” Given that she has the same strong, resilient streak that all the women in my grandmother’s circle had, she decided to take charge of her own decisions and got a job in an ice cream shop. It was 1944 she recalls and she made just under $3 for two days of work.

It’s hard to imagine numbers like this today, yet despite what salaries have become, the majority of Americans can’t pay their bills on time or if you happen to live in a major metropolitan area, afford the $1M+ that it cost to purchase a home today. And so, people don’t or they go bankrupt.

It seems as if everything is inflated around me…last time I walked down Fillmore Street, I don’t remember seeing so many unremarkable $500 tops and $800 bags. Shopping culture and consumerism despite the economic situation remains high (read my blog post on Qatar’s over-the-top growth) and yet, the happiest people I know have less. Only two days ago, I came across a photo with a quote from Justin Wolfers at the Aspen Ideas event saying “Richer countries are overwhelmingly happier than poorer countries.” From a viewpoint that poorer countries are full of people with sicker family members and less ability to save them, I agree.

In my experience traveling to 80 countries and living in nearly a dozen, it feels like the people I’ve met who have had less and live simpler lives with less stuff, are richer in spirit, and are focused on doing rather than earning, less weighted down by money.

So, I’m not sure if I agree with you Justin, but I do agree that communities where economic and social balance becomes far out of whack, depression and a feeling that the world doesn’t make sense can certainly be higher.

People from the old world, Marcie, Audrey, Bernie and my grandparents among them, understood contrasts, balance and gratitude and had so much more resilience, kindness and empathy than what I encounter on a regular basis. It’s not that the world has become a harsher place, it’s that we may all too busy responding and reacting to things being thrown our way (on and offline), that we may have forgotten to tap into what and who we know best – ourselves. 

Returning to and relying on ourselves and trusting our own intution for guidance and our life path may be the best gift we can give ourselves. Refer to my review on Rescue America: the urgent calling to return to what made America great.

How well I know these women or knew my grandmother is not as relevant as the impact they had on me, and the inner strength they have provided and still do, even those who are no longer walking on this physical land.

It’s always about our journeys and the joy and yes, even sorrow, we leave behind along the way. Within that joy and sorrow are lessons learned and gifts we share and receive, strength, courage and empathy passed on from our tribes, in my case, a tribe of strong fabulous women I think about often. And, when their smiling faces and emphathetic hearts come into clear view, there’s sunshine in the house and my day somehow gets breezier and lighter as I think about them weaving in and out of my life. Never gone, just displaced and forever cherished.

A few blog posts on happiness worth referencing:

• What Motivates People Across Cultures
• We’re Happier When We Share
• Bhutan’s Gross Happiness Experiment
• On Laughing More
• Money Doesn’t Bring You Happiness
• On Death (but one that will bring you comfort)
• Tony Hsieh on Happiness & Profits

Photo Credits:

• First Image (women/wind): 3D Art
• Path: Wharton Executive Management Site
• Bird with wings: Society 6

Dunes Near Saudi Arabia & Qatar Border

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dunes Near Saudi Arabia & Qatar Border. Photo credit: Duncan Davidson.

Panda Clings to Police Officer’s Leg After China Earthquake Hits

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A scared panda clings to a police officer’s leg after an earthquake hits China per @BintAlRifai

 

TEDxSummit in Qatar’s Doha Brings Together Nearly 100 Cultures to Ignite New Ideas

I recently came back from Doha Qatar, where I attended a week-long event exclusively for TEDx organizers. The first TEDxSummit was hosted by the Doha Film Institute at the Katara Cultural Center aka the Katara Valley of Cultures. The “village” is a bit like a sprawling outdoor convention center that houses an ampitheatre, tents and domes where you can see live concerts and events.

Katara was born out of a long held vision to position the State of Qatar as a cultural lighthouse of art if you will, highlighting the best of theatre, literature, music and visual art in the Middle East.

It sits along the water, so you can watch boats sail by and a sunrise in the early evening off in the distance while you take in your event, whether it be performing arts or meetings, or in our case, a mishmash of both.

Before arriving, I wasn’t sure what to expect, from the kinds of content they’d choose to why Qatar andwhat is Qatar? Refer to my numerous posts on Qatar including a write-up on the Arab Museum of Modern Art, images of the impressive Museum of Islamic Art, a display of work from renowned Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang and the over-the-top Murakami Ego exhibit.

What is Qatar is probably the most mind blowing takeaway from the event as you’ll see from my write-ups. At first, it didn’t make sense why we were having an event in such a remote place, a country barely known to so many and yet, after returning from the Summit, the location makes perfect sense.

Given that the Summit attracted TEDsters from nearly a hundred countries around the world, it is in fact a fairly central location, though obviously a longer haul for those of us on the American west coast. And, given the diversity of the attendees, Qatar, which rather than having hundreds of years of history and cultural references, really only started to make its marks a few decades ago.

In other words, its a country in search of an identity as demonstrated by the volume of new immigrants pouring in to tap into Qatar’s exploding economic growth…less a land of local Qataris and more a land of transplants from Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Lebanon, the list goes on.

And, let’s not forget other stats: 75% of those living in Doha and surrounding area are expats/foreign nationals. Doha is preparing for its growing global interest; the city is about as modern as it gets with highrises going up faster than Las Vegas hotels in its prime.

The other reason Qatar makes sense as a location, is that so few of us in the west know “enough” about the Middle East, particularly the complexities of Islam and the culture that goes along with it. Understanding Qatar helps you understand the rest of the region.

Through greater understanding comes compassion, empathy, tolerance, gratitude and a willingness to not just expand your horizons and knowledge base, but reach out and help in whatever way makes sense. This, by the way, is integral to what TED at its core is about.

And so, we all embarked on soil that is new, yet old, to discuss ways we can help each other, sharing best practices, what works and what doesn’t.

Some of the sessions included: How to Write About Your Speakers, Sponsorships, Keeping Your Event Sustainable, Social Media Strategies, Building Salons, Blogging, Making Change with Corporate Events, Capturing Great Photo Content, Planning, Stage & Production Tips, Branding, Livestreaming, Working with Tight Budgets and more.

Clearly it made sense for teams from specific regions to pow-wow with each other. We had breakout sessions in large tents in the middle of the desert broken out by parts of the world, i.e., Eastern Europe, Australia, Central America and in the states, it was broken down even further (northern California, Midwest and so on).

Below are ketchnotes of one of the TEDxSummit sessions from C. Todd Lombardo, organizer of TEDxSomerville in the greater Boston area.

While meeting by region helps each group share resources, and even space for meetings, its amazing how much you can learn from organizers in parts of the world that have nothing in common with your own. This is separate of course from what you learned from locals who happened to be hanging out or ‘working the event’ – in the middle of the desert.

For example, storytelling on stage is very different at a small event in West Africa, yet what is so natural in a village is often missing from a large TEDx stage that may resort to Powerpoint and a speaker’s 20 years of experience and knowledge. The opposite applies too of course; there are clearly things from larger events that small towns can use to expand their presence and brand awareness. In other words: borrow from the formal for the informal and take the informal into the formal and make magic happen by blending the best of both together.

The other surprise for me was the whole concept of “you don’t know what you don’t know and you don’t know who you don’t know.” I didn’t even know all the organizers in my own region (greater Bay Area), nor did I know the depth of where TEDx events had spread.

For example, while the events are largely by geography, there are a few that are connected to brands/companies, universities and other institutions. Did you know that there’s a TEDxHouses of Parliament? This isn’t just fascinating data – this is revolutionary. Consider the kinds of conversations they have already had and will evolve as a result of this kind of “new” organization and collaboration.

Bringing everyone together to share, collaborate and execute on ideas around the world is brilliant. Let’s not forget the ‘healing’ and compassion that comes as a result of greater understanding, which inevitably comes from bringing such a global audience together in one place.

Well done and hats off to Bruno Giussani, Chris Anderson, Lara Stein, and the NY & Doha teams for turning another great idea into a reality.

Some of the Speaker and Presentation Highlights include:

• ‘The Human Arabesque’ opening night video sourced inspiration from Doha’s Museum of Islamic Art. The team researched traditional arabesque patterns in a quest to incorporate regional culture to create a moving, human sculpture representing the transformative power of x.
• Futurist Juan Enriquez has always been a long time favorite of mine. He contends that science and technology are leading us rapidly towards the next “human species.” See excelvm.com.
• Vinay Venkatraman, who is a founding partner at the Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, has developed an alternative vision to creating a more inclusive world through a design concept he refers to as ‘Frugal Digital.’
• TED Senior Fellow Cesar Harada demonstrated a bold new design for a sailing craft with a flexible rudder — on both ends. Called ‘Protei,‘ the robot is designed to sense and clean up oceans.

• I loved Shereen El Fedi’s talk on how bad laws fuel and good laws fight HIV. Chart after chart, example after example, she demonstrated her point. Check out their work at HIV Law Commission.
• Amit Sood wowed the crowd with an incredibly impressive demo of the Google Art Project. They have collected and curated the world’s greatest art, from museums and beyond, onto the web, making it as easy to access your favorite piece of work or view art you’ve never heard of or are likely never to see in person. You can search by sub-category, by typing in for example, red and Picasso for everything that Picasso did in red. There are other filters as well that could keep you glued to this site for hours if not days.
• Rives, who many of us know as a renowned poet, has given awe-inspiring performances on the TED stage before. In Doha, he took us a journey of factoids using his poetic tongue. Bouncing from site to site, we learned about some of the most trivial and not so trivial knowledge on the web, ranging from culture and politics to insects and sex.
• With passion and energy, Indian artist Raghava KK argued why everyone should have a 200-year plan.
• Rare book scholar William Noel fascinated the audience with his research. Using a particle accelerator to read ancient works, he took us on a journey from start to finish. He’s a huge believer in open-source and open-data and he and his team are making their work open to others(aka the web of ancient manuscripts).
• Comedian Maz Jobrani intertwined humor with local culture and events. You have depth as a comedian when you can stand on a stage in Qatar and have Americans, Lebanese, Saudi Arabians, Qataris, Scandinavians, Japanese and Aussies all laughing at the same time. He’s known for his work on the ‘Axis of Evil Comedy Tour,’ which traveled around the world, including the Middle East.

• National Food Security Programme chairman Fahad Bin Mohammed Al-Attiya educated me most about where Qatar was a hundred years ago versus where it is today and where’s its heading. They’re working on a Master Plan, using Qatar, which only has two days of water supply, as a model for sustainable, environmentally friendly agriculture in arid regions.
• Yahay Alabdeli who curates TEDxBaghdad created a lot of teary eyed attendees with his story about how he traveled back to Iraq after 34 years to create an event that pulled not just locals but others who had left Iraq but returned specifically for his event. As you can imagine, it was much more than a reunion. He went through a number of obstacles to make it happen, so it seems perfect that his event theme was: “Making the Impossible Possible.”

• One of my old time favorites Hans Rosling returned to the TED stage, bringing humor to sex, religion and data once again. What was even more fascinating was having his global trends in health and economics from every country in the world presented in a place where we had representation by nearly every region in the world. All of his talks exude one of his sweetest talents – his dry humor and quirkiness. Beyond the quirkiness he shows in his professional life, which adds to the power of his talks, let’s not forget that the man swallows swords for kicks in his spare time. What’s not to adore about Hans? (see a video interview with Hans at the Summit here – he uses legos, rocks and humor that reveals deep insight in typical Hans-style).

Because the event was an International Summit where best practices and learning beyond “talks” were a big part of the agenda, the highlights that will inevitably be glued to people’s minds and hearts include the experiencial activities.

Below is a brainstorming session in a tent set up in the desert dunes, roughly an hour and a half south of Doha.

TEDx-ers formed a TEDx in the middle of the sand dunes while others filmed from above:

There was dune bashing, also in the south of the country.

And, kayacking among mangroves in the north, after which we were guests in the home of a local man, who fed us well and shared some of his photos and life experiences:

A visit to the Al-Zubara Fort:

A boat tour along the water:

The incredibly breathtaking Islam Museum of Art:

Education City has representation from some of the top schools, including Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Northwestern University, and others, with a goal to grow Qatar’s knowledge base, making it an attractive place to visit and work in the future.

Below, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar Weill Cornell.

Below is a shot taken at one of the cafes in the Souq Waqif one night (we ended up in the Souq several evenings). Despite the fact that the Souq doesn’t serve alcohol, it was a great place to hang out, socialize, shop, drink coffee and eat fabulous local food.

Desert Day in the South. Of course, it wouldn’t be desert day without an opportunity to catch a ride on a camel:

A casual shot of TEDx organizers in the desert…

Then there was the late afternoon drumming session, which frankly, I can never get ‘enough of…’.

A music jam session in one of the main tents – small but intimate and full of great TEDx talent:

18-year old Jordanian pianist Sima Sirriyeh, who composes her own pieces played for us on the main stage.

Opening night, they danced and sang. And then, danced and sang some more.

We took in the best of the local culture and greater Doha through visits to Souq Faqif, the Arab Museum of Modern Art, and the Cai Guo Qiang and Murakami Ego exhibitions. Also check out Doha’s Centre for Media Freedom.Late nights were spent in the hotel bars where we stayed: The W and Kempinski Hotels.

Photo Credits:

• Katara Village, Fort, Boat, Landscape City Shots, Brainstorm session, Hands, Anderson, Dunes, TedxStage Shot1: Javier Yunes
• Yahay Alabdeli, Cesar Harada, Inside Museum of Islamic Art: Duncan Davidson
• Group shot in dunes: taken on my camera by a TEDx-er
• North site visit for lunch, middle of desert scene, Hans sword shot from a previous event, casual desert day shot, camel close up, Souq, Maz Jobrani, opening night, drumming circle, jam session in tent after hours, Sima Sirriyeh: Renee Blodgett
• Education City Weill Cornell University shot - website.

Explosive Qatar Offers Urban, Artistic, Educational & Desert Surprises

After nearly 80 countries, there are few places I travel to that surprise me anymore. I just returned from Qatar, a country that juts out into the Gulf and borders both United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

I found myself shaking my head in disbelief over a myriad of ‘creations and development on top of other creations and developments’ that didn’t make a whole lotta sense, at least not on the surface.

While Qatar’s written history actually begins as far back as the 5th-century, claiming the seafaring Canaanites as the original Qatar inhabitants, it’s almost as if the place remained one massive flat dune-bed until 50 or so years ago.

More desert, mosques and malls than a rich history of cities, towns and bustling culture, it felt absent of “real locals.” As one guide book described it, which is pretty much how I felt, “take the history of the Bedouin, who traverse a land ‘taking only memories,’ and leaving only footprints, footprints that are dusted away by frequent sandstorms. As such, history in Qatar is easier to spot in the living rather than the dead.”  

Bear in mind that I was visiting the country for an International Summit, so my first few days were full of meetings within the confines of the Katara Cultural Village.

While this pretty man-made ‘village’ by the harbor is surrounded by an ampitheatre for music and theater performances and conferences, its ideology claim is much loftier.

You’ve gotta love their mission statement: “this village shall be a glimpse of the future of a world where people of different cultural backgrounds overcome their national boundaries and embrace common causes to promote a united humanity.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Following sessions at Katara and after-hour pow-wows and parties at the W and Kempinski Hotels, both designed to cater to wealthy westerners and tourists from the surrounding area, I found myself wondering, “Where are all the Qatari’s?” I couldn’t find them working in the hotels, the restaurants, the cafes, the cultural center or driving taxis. The taxi drivers all seemed to be from somewhere else (Lebanon, Jordan, Oman, India, Pakistan, the list went on….) and many of them were so new to the city that you may find yourself discovering Doha together.

A few other oddities. Qatar is apparently the wealthiest country per capita even though it is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the Arab world. Check out what Economy Watch has to say about their economic growth, which also includes interesting stats on their lifestyle, resources and industry sectors.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, there’s Qatar’s politics and infrastructure. The country has been ruled by the Al Thani family as an absolute monarchy since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling, it became independent in 1971, and since then, the country has been booming. By booming, I mean building any and everything in and around Doha, its capital city. Because of its enormous oil and gas reserves, revenues are plentiful for Qataris. I couldn’t get used to the 80 cents a gallon prices when we’re paying nearly $5 a gallon in California.

Qatar’s natural gas is what has its economy skyrocketing, making it an attractive bet for locals and foreigners alike. Among the 1.7 million people currently residing in Qatar, nearly three-quarters are foreign nationals with temporary residency status.

On my search for locals, I kept discovering people who lived there and perhaps even had for awhile, but didn’t consider themselves Qatari. While local men wear a white thobe and a gutra (white headdress, topped off with a long, black-tasselled agal (head rope), some foreigners who have moved there also do. Women are mostly covered and while I didn’t wear a scarf around my head in or out of the city, a smaller portion were fully vailed behind black in public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of the younger women wore different colors although when I began digging, I learned that many of them (though not all) were from surrounding Arab countries either visiting or studying at a local university.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With support from the Qatar Foundation, a number of leading US universities have opened branch campuses in a massive complex known as Education City. Included in this intellectual pie are leading schools such as Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Houston Community College System, Northwestern University, Texas A&M University, and Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts. In other words, it’s a massive intellectual undertaking with serious money and professors behind it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems as if the country really only began bubbling in the last 50 years or so. Main tourist attraction Al-Zubara Fort, was built as recently as 1938 and Qatar’s first school only opened in 1952. The first full scale hospital only came into being seven years later in 1959. Just think about those factoids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The buildings are going up as fast as bees make their way to an open honey jar. Imagine flying to the Middle East, expecting to find some local culture in neighboring villages and towns (everywhere has those right?) and finding a Las Vegas-like city in the middle of the desert where half the country’s population live and work. We counted 212 cranes on our bus ride out of town and eventually gave up counting, the number was so dizzying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of these buildings are modern in design and sadly, very close together. I find that they try to dazzle more than they try to inspire. As many a great designer says, “leave space for the eye to rest.” When the eye has space to rest, it can appreciate the creation before it, however when it’s overcrowded with so many competing designs, it gets lost or worse, becomes an eyesore. Yet, when they sit on their own, they can sparkle and even impress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city center has a mall (there are tons of them in Doha), which is so loaded with western influence, if you do happen to come in from the states or Europe looking for local culture, you’ll quickly want to retreat to get away from the Starbucks, McDonalds, Gap and Aldo frenzy – the list goes on.

Qatar is a place with only two days of water reserve and 80% of its food is imported from elsewhere, Qatar has to create a hub that attracts others well beyond its mall culture if it wants to sustain itself. While it ‘ain’t no Dubai’, many aspects of it is trying to be and its combined wealth and commitment can get it more than half way there. Education City is evidence of this, acknowledgement that attracting some of the brightest and the best will only be a win win now and down the road. And, let’s not forget the World Cup in 2022.

Shopping complex “The Villagio” eerily resembles the Venetian in Las Vegas with its fake cloudy blue sky overhead and its bridges that cross over a waterway. It houses Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Estee Lauder and other high end designers. I was also told to check out The Pearl, which is itself, its ‘own village.’ Take a look below at the construction going up in and around it, designed to attract outsiders into high end condo units that resemble a modern fabricated version of southern Italy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole city in fact feels a little Epcot and Disneyworld-like, with both the good and bad trimmings that come along with that picture.

Not far from here are other condo and housing complexes, some of which have wealthy Qataris living in them and some of which have expats who are working in engineering, education and other growth industries.

A friend of mine who is a professor working inside Education City brought me on a little tour of all the surrounding neighborhoods including their own housing complex. Not far from here, more construction. And tractors. And cranes. And dust. 

It’s not just the dust which is responsible for the white washed out sky, which was making it hard for me to get the clarity and contrasts I’m after with my photography. Visualize: a place with a white sandy ground, white washed walls in the center and white skies above. While the sun and clear blue skies may not be a regular siting, at least in the Spring, the weather is always warm.

I was told that as hot and muggy as it was in late April, that another month from now, I’d be screaming and begging for air conditioners and cool swims in the ocean. Top that off with the fact that they may only get two days of rain a year, and you have a pretty reliable climate at least for planning purposes. It certainly makes planning an outdoor wedding easy.

If you want to retreat inside, there are some interesting places to go. I was blown away by both the Modern Art Museum and the Museum of Islamic Art, the latter of which houses the largest collection of Islamic art in the world, collected from three continents. It includes manuscripts, textiles and ceramics and Islamic artifacts, with items originating in Spain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, India, and Central Asia.

The outside of the building is impressive as is the surrounding grounds, so much so that we ended up here on three separate occasions, including an afternoon picnic on the grass, which has a great view of boats parading by. While there was much to marvel at inside, the ceiling was also a decadent treat, especially for this art lover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Modern Art Museum had an exhibit by renowned contemporary Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang, whose work I fell in love with. Saraab showcased more than fifty works, including seventeen newly commissioned artwork. Some may argue that he isn’t a world class artist, but after spending a significant amount of time with his gunpowder drawings, I’d put him on the world class list. Awe inspiring, both his technique and his finished work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I certainly wouldn’t fly all the way to Doha for shopping although it most certainly is a ‘shopping culture,’ focused on malls and as I mentioned, heavily influenced by the west. The Souq Waqif is a modern version of old town Jersualem or Casablanca. While they have tried to make the meandering market which extends down little alleys, look old, it’s clear that its a modern creation built for tourists, and yet it still has charm and great eateries, where you can find some tasty and authentic Moroccan, Lebanese and Indian cuisine. (Note that nearly everything in the Souq and many parts of the city close between 1 and 4 for their version of a Siesta).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The name, literally translated to “the standing market,” is crammed full of shops selling traditional materials, shawls, scarves, blankets, garments, and jewelry. You can also buy kitchen utensils, children’s shoes and clothes, spices, handicrafts, perfumes, and souvenirs, which are largely silver and gold incense holders, traditional thobes, ornate tea pots, wooden boxes decorated with etchings and paint, and hookah pipes for smoking shisha, a regular sighting in the Souq and beyond. It is very common to see men traditionally dressed in pairs or in larger groups at a restaurant or cafe smoking various flavors of shisha. And yes, of course we tried it although I couldn’t quite get the hang of it.

You put the tube in your mouth and suck away….the smoke is sucked down through the water and into your mouth and of course when you exhale, you get a thick cloud of sweet smelling smoke. We sampled apple, grape and strawberry flavors for kicks at a Moroccan restaurant named Tangine (a thumbs up) although there are many shisha lounges where you can just smoke and have tea if you have already eaten.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bear in mind that at most restaurants and cafes, you can’t find alcohol so shisha is one way to seek pleasure without the accompanying wine and beer with a meal. Hotel bars have a liquor license but if you are a local living in Qatar, you have to apply for a license and then have a quota of how much you can buy at the one and only liquor store in the country, and that quota is based on how much you earn. Yes, really.

Lately, Souq Waqif has became a hotspot for art galleries and workshops, hosting several art galleries and events as well as local concerts during the holiday seasons. Also worth noting is Falcon Souq, just off Salwa Road, where you can see everything related to falconry. If you happen to be there from October to March (falcon season), you can see dozens of varieties of falcons or you can just go to view or buy falcon equipment such as burkha (hoods) and hubara (feathers).

 

 

 

 

 

And then there is camel racing season, which we apparently just missed. A friend who landed in Qatar earlier than I did, managed to take some of the festivities in – his image below. Helicopters apparently fly overhead the camels, broadcasting the races on TV.  It’s apparently quite the spectacle as my expat friend also confirmed, who has been living in Qatar now for nearly two years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

While you can’t exactly go hiking in the mountains here, you can go to the beach, kayacking in the Mangroves (about an hour north) or dune bashing in the south (both of which we did). Refer to this video for a visual and audio experience of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have more time, I’d also take in the pearling villages of Al-Wakrah and Al-Wukair, the beaches near Mesaieed if you love to swim, Khor Al-Adaid near the Saudi Arabian border for some sand serenity and beauty, the fishing village of Al-Ruweis (not to mention numerous abandoned villages like Al-Khuwair and Al-Arish) and Jebel Jassassiyeh, where you can take in nearly 1,000 ancient rock carvings across 580 sites. Khor Al-Adaid and Jebel Jassassiyeh require 4WD and frankly, it’s worth getting one if you want to go anywhere interesting outside of Doha.

There are so many things to do and entice you in all directions and yet the country is so small. Qatar a mysterious land with a sprouting new city still trying to find itself. That said, it is trying hard and has the resources to do it. So while you may not be able to find a local Qatari upon landing or shortly thereafter and are miffed by the fact that you can’t take a jaunt out to a small town for some local flavor, give your visit a chance by digging a little deeper, staying a little longer and asking a few more questions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is substance below and beyond the glittering high rises, international hotel chains and modern stores and with Qatar’s growth and desire for “more of everything,” you’ll likely be hearing more about this little place that borders Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates to the north, and juts itself out in the warm and inviting Gulf.

For more on the Qatar and Doha journey, go here. Also check out my first impressions post and the Arab Modern Museum of Art Cai Guo Qiang exhibit. For an interesting post on the Murakami Ego exhibit, also in Doha, go here. For more on arts in general, go here. For great images and an overview on Doha’s Souq Waqif, go here.

Photo Credits:

Photo 2, both Skyskraper images & Villagio mall shot, Dunes 2: John Werner

Outside Tent Photo: Henri Laupmaa

Photo 1, Cranes, Dunes (1), Boat Shot w/haze, Birds on building: Javier Yunes

White/Black Robe Shots from Souq & Villagio Mall, Colorful houses along river, Construction site, Cai Guo-Qiang painting & Kayacks, Renee Blodgett

Camel Racing: Duncan Davidson

Education City: Education City

Islam Museum of Islamic Art – Museum of Islamic Art

Qatar’s Souq Waqif For Sensory Overload: Spices, Dresses, Silver, Gems, Wood & More…

The market in Doha Qatar is actually new but it was built to look old, so it has that old town look-and-feel, which adds to the charm when you’re shopping or dining, by day or night.

Referred to as the Souq Waqif (there are other souqs in Doha), it was formerly a spot for centuries where the Bedu brought sheep, goats, wool and other things to trade. Apparently it was nearly condemned for demolition until they decided to renovate and redevelop it to resemble a 19th-century souq.

Today, there are plenty of nooks, crannies and narrow alleyways to walk through, however the buildings are new: mud-rendered shops show exposed timber beams in and around restored buildings that show their original elegance and charm. 

People tend to go there to socialize and eat more than they do to shop. There are simply too many malls with western influence scattered throughout the city and outskirts.

That said, tourists always wind up here as do locals who want to meet friends for dinner — there is plenty of outdoor seating, which is reliable here since it barely rains.

No alcohol however, so if you’re okay grabbing a traditional and tasty meal along with tea, coffee, soda, water or juice, it’s the perfect night out. Cuisine is heavily influence by Lebanon and Morocco although there are variations. If you want sushi or Italian pasta with a fabulous bottle of Cabernet, stick to the hotels or few places in the city that may be lucky to have a liquor license.

If you do want to shop, it’s a bargaining culture just like most markets. You can find all sorts of things, from decadent gold and silver tea kettles, incense holders, ornate painted wooden boxes, henna paint for your hands, traditional Qatari dress, embroidered bukhnoq (girl’s head covering), spices, perfumes, jewelry, knock-off sunglasses, children’s shoes, materials, cashmere scarves and antiques.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They also have an exotic incense made from agar wood, which if you love an sensory overload, this is a great take-home.

Throughout the winding streets, there is a host of restaurants and cafes – some authentic and traditional and some not, but most offer an opportunity to smoke the hookah pipe, which is a regular siting pretty much anywhere in the Souq.

The entire experience was great, especially after many days of western hotels and shiny buildings in the city center. While the souq may not authentically be old, it was re-developed in the original location of one and the charm, the warmth of the people and the countless things to sample and sense are all worth it.

For more on Qatar, check this section out and for an interesting post on the Murakami Ego exhibit, also in Doha, go here. For more on arts in general, go here.

Photo credits: Renee Blodgett.

Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar By Day & Night…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Museum of Islamic Art — inside and out – by day and by night, designed by I. M. Pei, at night in Doha, Qata.

Photo Credits: Duncan Davidson.

 

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