Dec Update

Dec Update

OK, what happened in December? The West Asian Games were in town and it was easy to get tickets, cost $1.40 per event. At these high prices we attended a football (soccer) match and the opening ceremony, team handball, fencing, track and field and basketball. The really sad thing is we were there with only about 50/60 other people, but we had front row seating. The next major sporting event was the Qatar Golf Open on Dec 16/17. This event was open to anyone with less than a 9 handicap, so I entered. This was a chance to play the golf course for a very reasonable sum. The only problem was this was the first 18 holes that I have played since July; we played 2 days, 36 holes, walking from 7200 yards and 4 inch rough. A little more golf course than I am used to in the states, the good news was I didn’t finish last, the bad news is one of the people I beat was the Japanese ambassador who played because of his position, not his handicap.

At school, we wrapped up the first semester without any major problems or glitches, most of the students did well and there were only a small handful that were not successful in our program. Overall that part of our days and months is going smoothly. These students are very much like young people in the states, some work harder than others, most all are very well behaved and it is fun to be around them