The first few months after we returned to the U.S. from Qatar were extremely hard, so hard that the girls and I teared up whenever we went outside. I had to start driving right away, something I hadn’t done in ten years. Luckily, obtaining a driving license was not difficult, as I had my old license and could swap it for a new one. Setting up the house kept us busy. It was an emotionally charged experience. Every outside experience was an assault on our senses, reminding us of the place we had left behind. Doha is multicultural, alive, vibrant, and a place where one is never bored.

On the other hand, the suburbs of the U.S. are dull. Strip malls are scattered throughout cities, intermixed with residential areas. Most U.S. cities suffer from an identity crisis; they have none. Doha is an eclectic mix of old and new. Some places are all high-rise, modern buildings, but some are comprised of older homes and structures. People from all walks of life live side by side, never far apart. Once I went to a conference and saw Sheikha Moza (the Emir’s mother) in person, hardly 20 twenty feet away.

In 2013, my husband and I moved to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with two preteens and a twelve-month-old baby. The move to Saudi Arabia was a welcome relief as I was coping with a multitude of issues. It felt good to be out of the U.S. I had an incredible opportunity to spend time in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. We made regular day trips to Mecca for Umrah, and weekend trips to Medina. I had some remarkable spiritual experiences in the most blessed place on earth. Before COVID, Mecca became much less crowded about a month after Hajj. Frequently, my friends and I would make early morning trips to Mecca for Tawaaf, pray dhuhr inside Mataaf, and return home by two or three in the afternoon. Those trips were the highlight of my Middle East stay as I touched the Kiswa (the cover of the Kabaa) during every circle of the tawaaf, prayed comfortable rakaahs inside the Haram, and once kissed the black stone in a comfortable line. Apart from the twin holy cities, the Middle East can be fun for many reasons. Food, friends, and a unique cultural experience, to name a few. In 2017, after four years in Jeddah, we moved to Doha, Qatar. Again, it took some time for adjustment. The kids missed their friends in Saudi Arabia, and I missed my community and my beautiful apartment, only an hour from Mecca by car.

 I truly appreciated the Middle East because I traveled to Karachi every 3-4 months, spent precious time with my family, and explored Karachi at leisure. Also, the general Middle Eastern environment is comfortable; both Jeddah and Doha reminded me of Karachi in different ways. Jeddah is more like Karachi than Doha. The topography and general ambience are not all that different from Karachi.

  I think Middle Eastern life can be very comfortable and almost addictive, in the sense that once settled, you do not want to be anywhere else. Although at times I felt that Doha was making me lazy and complacent, I still loved it. I loved the land, small Indian chai shops, endless stray cats and occasional dogs, the hostile weather, the prayer calls throughout the day, and the omnipresent ocean. However, when my son moved to the U.S. for college, I felt his absence and that he was not happy about the long trip to Doha, and was lonely. During school breaks, he had to go stay at friends’ homes or sometimes stay by himself. Given the choice again, I would still choose to move back. Life is not about being static; it is about evolving and making the right choices at the right time.