Rooh yal Majrooh

Al-Bandar is a port on the corniche, where a lot of people go to hang out with their friends. There would always be Jet Ski’s and jet boats passing by and playing around in that area. Also, there are always a lot of cars parked and people sitting on top of their car or next to it just chilling and to get some fresh clean air from next to the sea.

It is a beautiful place to hang out in, you would see Doha’s little Manhattan in front of you, and you would also see the great Islamic Museum. The place looks more beautiful when the sun is down, because the lighting starts to bring the color out of the city, where when it is daylight its very dusty and everything seems to be brown. I would always here the sounds of people talking and laughing in the background, also there would always be a car passing with very high music which gets everybody in a joyful mood.

Everyone around me is very energetic; there are families, and groups of friends. Some people are even playing play station in the trunk of their car, I could here them screaming and laughing and throwing bets on who is going to win.

Personally I feel free in Al-Bandar, it’s a place where everybody could feel free and do whatever they wanted to without anybody judging or staring. I would rather hang out here with my friends and drink Karak, than go to a mall.

What is unexpected about this place is that everybody greets everybody as they are passing by, nothing you would find outside of this port. Moreover, I think that this place is very international, you see people from all races, age groups and economic levels.

(Mariam)

She Sets Me Free

Wide open spaces. The feeling of freedom, of not feeling boxed in by buildings and traffic jams. The Bilal family farm has been in our family for generations, as a child we came with our parents to escape the noise and pollution of Doha life. Its sanctuary to revive our spirits and to take in nature and leave cell phones at home. On top of the horse I feel the cool breeze whistle by and a feeling of excitement and exhilaration. I am away from the pressures of the University and my mind is free.

My horse, AlZafrana, is the fastest horse in Doha. A beautiful black creature with friendly eyes but dangerous moods. As I pulled myself up to ride her, my heart beats faster with fear. I try to become one with her and tune into her emotions. As we accelerate my breathing slows as we move together and enjoy escaping into the distance. We gallop faster as the sights of leafy trees, fluffy sheep, a haze of brown and green zoom pass my eyes. Time stands still, the rush of everyday life falls and I feel at peace.

The Doha Tribeca Film Festival

This annual event showcases the wonderful talent of film makers around the world. The main reason of putting up the festival is to allow films to help nourish the young minds as well as to spread awareness among adults as to how things change in our lives. There are thirty five movies chosen to be a part of the exhibition of talents. Each movie tackles issues that affect Arab culture and traditions. This festival helps people, especially the new generation to realize the values in all aspects of life. Actor Robert De Niro is one of those who supported the festival and paid a visit to our humble country for the said event. Last year’s gathering was star studded as they jetted their way here. The people behind every movie are those who aspire to become greater. During the film preparations, people were given a chance to glance on how people get affected by new cultures and at the same time advising us to hold on to what our ancestors have been teaching us. I personally went to watch all thirty five movies that were shown, but unfortunately this limited amount of time was not enough for me. I believe that in order to understand, I need to put myself in the situation of the character that existed way back in time. The cultural upbringings will never be that easy. The influences are scattered around and have been absorbed by our local people. I hope we all can do something about it. In one way or another I can see and believe that festivals like these gives our country, and ourselves a reason to be proud of.
A.A

Good for shopping, bad for hanging

I love Landmark. For me, it’s the place TO GO for shopping here in Qatar. It has a variety of clothing stores, electronics and make-up. They even recently opened MAC, where before I had to go to villaggio or city center to buy something from MAC. Plus it’s the closest mall to me since I live in Al-Dafna. Landmark is in between Al-Mrkhya and Duhail. Although l love Landmark so much, there is this feeling that discourages me from going. But I go anyway, because I know I will find what I’m looking for.

The moment I get there and get out my car, I regret the deciding to come. It’s always so crowded, inside and out!! Guys keep circling around the mall with their cars. We call them "eagles". They’re there after they get their “Karak” from the gas station. To exit, they have to go through Landmark parking lot. They circle around landmark look for a dead body to eat. They are just guys with no purpose and nothing to do all day long. Whenever you go, at any time of the day or any day of the week, they are there.

If you go during a weekday the crowd is not that bad. Try to get there during the weekends- it’s a nightmare. It’s so uncomfortable to go for shopping there during the weekend. You can see from people’s faces that they’re not there for shopping. They’re so calm and relaxed as if they have no worry in life. They just walking around looking at people, they’re not even looking at stores or window displays. Which really makes me feel like I’m out of my place, like I’m the one at fault. Am I the only one trying to shop in this shopping mall?! It’s just a wearying feeling when you’re trying to do something and people are looking at you. (HZ)

Girls Cruising Experience

Sitting alone and having not much to do, I decide to call my friend Maryam; I tell her that I am bored and she agrees. I ask her "What should we do?" and she replies "Let's go cruising". She picks me up from my home in her father's car, a Toyota Land Cruiser, as her Porsche Cayenne is still in the garage. At the beginning, we think that the Land Cruiser is kind of big for the two of us, but we later think that it is going to be a unique and interesting experience.

As usual, I always forget to wear the seat belt, the seat belt alarm never stops, and Maryam goes crazy about that. "Oppps, I forget to wear it this time too" I say, and we both laugh. To get into a passionate and jovial mood, I turn Bahrain FM on; and listen to "sarhana" by the Qatari singer Bader Al-Rayes. While cruising in Doha, people usually like to enjoy the very special drink "karak" (an Indian drink; tea with milk), that became strongly associated with cruising, and that’s what we do. We get our karak from Al-Naimi Cafeteria branch that is next to Landmark. We enjoy drinking karak and its sweet taste, but what's really weird about that is whenever Maryam and I drink it, we get into hysterics!

We start our cruise from Landmark, enjoying the chilly air coming from the air conditioner, the sugary taste of karak, and listening to the latest songs. Soon after, we notice some people staring at us, especially guys, they are little bit surprised to see girls in a Land Cruiser, as it is mostly known as a family or guys' car here in Doha. Some of them even smile and turn on their headlights for us, as a sign of liking, or start to follow us! Which becomes very annoying, and thus we decide to go cruising somewhere else. West Bay is the place, and finally we are in peace again!

N.A

Giant Ice-Cube

That Friday afternoon we could only find a parking space outside the mall, so we had to sweat running inside away from the severely hot sun. As we got in the mall, I made my way to the ice-skating rink. The freezing gust of wind struck me as I approached the isolated, solid block of ice. As the extremely cool air entered my lungs, it clarified my mind from all the worries. The pure beauty of the clear, white ice enlivened me. Excitement was tingling in me when I saw the graceful moves of the youngster ice-skaters, slipping fluidly on the shiny block of ice. The smell of the giant ice cube reminded me of the smell of the little ice-cubes I have at home in the freezes, which we use in fresh juices on the hot sunny summer days of Doha, like today!

I started walking closer and closer to the rink, attracted by the pleasant music the skating-shoes’ blades created scratching the ice. As I first set foot on the giant ice cube, everything seemed like a far blur for an instant. The feeling of having my whole weight on unstable feet, the excitement of trying out something new, the fear of slipping at any moment, and the strong desire of learning that perfection the youngsters performed, were all the mixed feelings I had at that moment. I had woken up to the unrealized freezing cold when my nose went numb. The actions of surrounding crowd of people took my attention away. Mothers with wide-open eyes stood next to the borders of the ice-rink worried about their children, who kept on slipping and banging the giant ice cube every five minutes. Fathers sat relaxed, or were close to the ice encouraging their kids to stand up, stay strong and move on. I then continued gazing at the young boys moving with such elegance on the cold dancing floor, but soon I was distracted by a breathtaking youngster, who passed two inches away from my nose, at lightning speed in great poise. L.N.

Endless Sea

We are in the middle of the sea. After pedaling for so long, we are too tired to go around trying to figure out where we are. We lay back and watch the horizon. It is an amazing view--huge beach houses on one side and on the other is an open ocean, and in a spot very far away we can see Qatar’s mini Manhattan. It is very relaxing to our eyes.

My friend and I can’t stop laughing in the beginning; we are all alone, late at night sitting in a canoe and too tired to go find our way back. But then, when we start noticing our surroundings both of us just gaze away. A jet ski passes by which ruins our moment and makes huge waves as he was passes, we think we are going to flip for a second. The canoe stops moving so we just gaze away again; I watch blurry lights everywhere, due to my weak eyesight. Maha, my friend always talks about her emotions and how she feels about the place.

Calm waters, and only a small hiss of wind. It felt comforting being in a huge open space all alone. It is so quiet I can hear Maha thinking.

Being on a canoe late at night is something I have never done before. It is very relaxing and you can go back and think about everything when you are all alone on the dark sea.