I've been here one month today. I'm not going to lie: it hasn't been easy. On occasion I get terribly lonely, I miss my friends and family, and I wish there was more to do here. I'm not in love with Doha; I'm not even sure I like it. But I do really like my job and I think there's a lot of potential for this network and for me. I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that this is all going to work out terribly well.

On the other hand, it is difficult. I haven't heard from some people I thought were really good friends of mine since I moved here. I don't have a lot of time or great facilities to e-mail outside of work, so keeping in touch with people isn't easy. I got tonsillitus last week and once again felt how tiring it can to be sick and on one's own. I'm used to it but I really did appreciate the night when two of my neighbors cooked me dinner.