Friendships are curious things. You find someone you kinda like or tolerate, and decide, hey this person is someone I could actually share my weirdness with. Weird.

Being transparent here: I struggle with friendships. I’m not a person who goes out of their way to be with people. I’m the kind of person who loves their little core group of friends who know my awkwardness and accept it. I don’t need to have more anxiety wondering if people actually like me as a person. I struggle with wondering how I’m being thought of by other people and my first assumption isn’t that people like me. So, the less people who can judge me the better. 

I also don’t love that I feel so tired from being around people all day. Little people can be draining little life-suckers some days and amazing scientists and mathematicians who make me laugh other days (two thumbs up for all the parents out there). Hosting or spending more time with people outside of work isn’t always my idea of a recharge. I really struggle some days with giving it my all for friends. It can be a problem. However, being abroad has forced me to be with people and make new friendships whether I want to or not because I need it. I don’t have the opportunity to crash on my parent’s couch or just stay in and snuggle with our dog (two of my ideas of recharging). I just hate how drained I always feel from interactions.

Nevertheless, hosting is what I’ve signed up for regardless of my feelings for the next year or two. I want my world far away to merge with my world in the Middle East so that I don’t lose sight of either one. I’m so fortunate that we have friends and family willing to merge the gap between the two worlds for us. I’m grateful to all those who have visited Cole and I and to those who are making the huge trek out here to be with us. I know it’s not an easy journey, but to have the opportunity to be with people we love really means more than anything. 

So far we have had our friends Brian, Kara, Vincent, and Cole’s grandpa travel all the way from Canada to spend time with us. We’ve also made some amazing friends here who we’ve travelled with, camped with, laughed and cried with, gotten frustrated at, vented with, and have become family with. We’ve had so many adventures it’s hard to remember every detail and thread of how events have happened. I sometimes remember things in a macrocosm and forget the finer details that have made the moments truly special to me. Some of the biggest moments over the last few months have been those times with us hosting and forcing ourselves myself to get out of the house and become more social creatures. We’re lucky with the visits from our friends we’ve been able to do so. 

Something that’s forced us to get out is a trip to the beach here and there. We’ve been with both guests and our friends here to the beach and honestly, how can the beach not be a highlight of anyone’s time abroad? Okay, maybe it’s not Cole’s first choice, but too bad for him that he married a beach bum. Here, beaches are split up into two camps: public and private. Public beaches aren’t my first choice as they can accumulate a larger population of people. Private beaches are usually outfitted with better amenities such as food, drink, changing areas, showers, and less people. The water here is kind of unbelievable. It’s so salty that doing a breaststroke without your feet popping up behind you is nearly impossible. You may find yourself running out of the water very quickly if you’re anything like me though. Impressively, I think my friend Jess and I cleared a couple families out of the water in ten seconds after we screamed at the sight of some little jellyfish. So, if you’re not a fan of sea-life, the beach may not be for you (especially if I’m around screaming my face off). I think we’ve made some great memories with both friends from home and from here at the beach. The ocean is therapy. 

Brunch is a way of life out here for expats. Some people find a new brunch spot every weekend to try out. You hear brunch and you think that it’s a fun combination of breakfast and lunch, No, no, it is not. I’m not sure that I will ever look at brunch the same way again. I’m also pretty sure it wasn’t a North American who came up with this concept out here. I think whoever came up with “brunch,” just liked the sound of the word- it does kind of sound like “munch,” (another fun word).  Brunches out here are generally a 12-5pm event where you dress up, over-eat, and forget to leave that extra pocket in your stomach available for dessert (you know what I’m talking about). Brunches can be themed around a menu or even a dress code. There’s one out here that’s The Great Gatsby themed. There’s one that’s champagne and caviar themed. It can be a buffet or a multi-course meal. There might be an ocean to look at or even a terrace full of palm trees-either way the atmosphere is always something special. We’ve opted to bring most of our guests to a brunch as it’s really an unreal experience. Do not come here thinking that you’ll lose weight. It’s probably going to be a bit of the opposite. I think most social outings here have to do with eating. Brunches are the ultimate wind-down way to relax and let loose. I love that we’ve gone with so many friends to some awesome brunches- we in fact have another one to go to this weekend. 

Friends have taken us out of our comfort zones and we have now travelled to do things that I never expected. I’m by no means a soccer (not football) fan, however I knew this would be a once in a lifetime opportunity to visit this country and see such an amazing sport. Yes, we were as shocked as the rest of the world that Canada was to be a part of this. For the first time in 36 years we were going to enjoy a historic event! For some insane reason, we decided that 5 adults could squeeze into our tiny vehicle and get into Qatar comfortably. Wrong. Incorrect. Not okay. Never will I ever do that again.There are some more stories to tell here about driving across different countries, seeing wild camels, going through border controls, and being ripped off by a sketchy cab driver. Ask me about the details some time! It’ll force you to talk to me, haha. All in all, going with friends we made here and Cole’s friend Vincent from back home, made the experience incredibly special. We all have different strengths and weaknesses and going somewhere we all found to be a little sketchy and incredibly confusing was made better by the fact that we had our friends to lean on when decisions had to be made. If you know me I’m really not a decision maker so I’m grateful for others to help take charge. 

The actual event itself was fantastic because of the friends we travelled with. We loved sharing in the camaraderie of being Canadian with them and it made our experience that much better. We met some other amazing Canadians as well as we were placed in a Canadian fan zone within the stadium. We had some great hype guys in our sections and I almost lost my voice the moment Canada scored its one and only goal. An all time high, let me tell you. Our trip wasn’t without some hiccups, but all in all we had fun and were able to get back home safely. 

Canadians- you take the beauty of Canada for granted. I love the outdoors and do love exploring it to the fullest. Nature here is sand and maybe a camel spider or two. I miss the green and majestic beauty of Canadian nature. I miss pine trees (my nemesis previously), dirt, grass, and yes, snow. However, here you get what you get and yes, sand can actually be beautiful. Sand here isn’t what you think. It’s soft, luxurious, and can float down dunes like a waterfall. It’s a different sight when sunset hits it at the right angle. Sand bashing and having a “cheesy griller,” on the sand is amazing. A lot of people tend to think sand is just sand, but the locals here love it. Many people have heard that gold here is popular and it’s actually because they think it reflects the colour of the sand around them- that’s how much they love it! So, with friends, we have experienced camping and some fun outdoor experiences in the sand. Our friends here took us to a gorgeous camping spot that we never would have known about. We took a random turn off a road (unmarked of course) and drove for 30 minutes on hard packed sand to our spot. We ended up going to a  spot right on the edge of the gulf. A morning bathroom break even turned into a discovery of a dolphin skeleton! I would never have gotten the chance to discover that without our friends showing us the spot. Some days the sand seems endless, but like the locals, slowly I think I can see the beauty of it- as long as it’s not in my food.

The friend who has done the most for me here of course is my husband. Insert soppy paragraph to follow. Skip this part if you get nauseous easily. I am incredibly lucky that he’s my friend too. You know, lots of people say that their spouse is their friend, but a lot of them aren’t being honest. A friend is someone who pushes you, listens, and funny enough annoys the heck out of you some days. My friend, Cole, is the most incredibly honest and passionate person I’ve ever met. When he loves, he loves hard, and when he’s annoyed, he annoys hard. He has been my rock in this crazy journey and has pushed me to travel to unknown places. With him, he’s seen me discover my firsts of oceans, camels, and castles. He’s seen my firsts of some truly unreal and incredible adventures with him and our friends. He’s been there for me when I’ve cried over the dumbest things while being abroad (and called me cute while doing so). Cole has supported me even when I’m sure I’m making terrible judgement calls. I can’t imagine how anyone has moved abroad without a friend at their side and kudos to those who have because I’m not sure I’d be strong enough to without a personal cheerleader. I know some days he finds it incredibly frustrating with me, but man, he is one amazing person for cheering me on when I’m feeling crushed. He has rallied through some of my worst days for me. Most friends wouldn’t do that, so I know I have the best of the very best friends. 

Because of friends, not only have I had my first times seeing oceans, camels, and castles, but I have realised how much love and support our friends have to give both near and far. I have never missed my long-standing friendships so much. I have had nights of feeling sick to my stomach with how much I am missing my friends and family. I still feel sick to my stomach most days if I’m being completely honest. It’s hard not waking up feeling overwhelmed with choices and sometimes feeling alone. I never realised how much I rely on the amazing people around me to fill my world. You don’t take friendships for granted in this kind of a journey. It goes to show how amazing being weird with other people can be.

I won’t be taking friendships for granted as I did before. I am so lucky that I have this opportunity to reflect on what it means to be friends with some awesome people near and far. If you’re a nearby friend, I thank you for being a part of my journey abroad in becoming a more open person. If you’re a friend from afar, I love you and miss you. Inshallah you’ll come visit.