As-Salam-u-Alaikum, Marhaba!
A lot has happened since my last blogpost. I loved every minute of being the Principal of Southbridge School but all good things must come to an end. I had clear goals of what I hoped to achieve in my time there as principal and the position I wanted to leave the school in and I after nearly 4 years there working to achieve those goals, I knew I was ready for the next challenge, so in December 2019, when I was offered the opportunity to become the Assistant Principal at Qatar Academy Al Khor, in the Middle East the risk taker, traveller and lifelong learner in me jumped at the chance. It felt like it had all lined up perfectly, the timing couldn't be better...and then 2020 rolled around and with that - Covid-19 aka Coronavirus!
No-one could have predicted the enormous and devastating impact that would have on the entire world. And continues to have - as I sit here now it is February 22nd 2021 and Qatar is in the midst of a second wave, experiencing over 450 positive cases a day with nearly 10,000 active positive cases in the country! It is hard to wrap your head around but it is our day to day reality. It is also very hard for people I know to wrap their heads around how I would leave New Zealand, which is effectively Covid free and people are back living life as normal, to move halfway across the world, as a family of 5, to a country experiencing high numbers of positive cases. I have to admit I had plenty of worrying and stressful moments but I had made a commitment to QAK and also knew that this was an opportunity we couldn't miss out on.
Has it been hard - absolutely. Has it been worth it - ABSOLUTELY! And I am confident the best is yet to come once the health and safety restrictions start to lift. Qatar is a wealthy country with the intent and ability to mass vaccinate all citizens and residents. This week all teachers have started to be vaccinated and I am ready and waiting to join that list. Once fully vaccinated in Qatar, we can travel again with no quarantine on return back into the country and more importantly are protected from the chance of getting Covid-19. When that happens my family and I will get to experience Qatar in a new way - no more masks, no more social distancing, no more maximum capacity at events and in buildings! Playgrounds will open up, children will return to school again, I will see my colleagues faces for the first time since meeting them without a mask on, we can meet in person and hold social events that build community. I cannot wait!
In the meantime I thought I would start blogging again to try and capture this once in a lifetime experience while living through it. I will share my experiences of education and life in Qatar and welcome your comments and questions as well.
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| About to board my flight to Doha |
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| Our new 'normal' started on the plane and has yet to end |
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| Adapting to our new life in Doha |
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| While very different to NZ, we love our new home Qatar! |
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