Paula speaks...

Spring has arrived in the desert and with it the second edition of Mosaic 2.0!

First of all, a big Thanks! to all of you who took the time to read our first edition and provide us with useful feedback. Your suggestions and encouragement were most welcomed.

In this edition, we attempt to respond to some of your inquiries about life in Qatar by including several photos and short prose pieces by members of the editorial team. We hope that these reflections convey something of the adjustment to our new lives in Qatar, where for many expatriates very little is familiar on arrival. In addition to these contributions, we selected other poetry and prose submissions from writers within Qatar and around the world. All of the writings reflect in some way, if only indirectly, this issue’s theme of “seasons.”

For some people, seasons conjure very definite memories which are marked by shifts in weather and activity. The changes from warmer to cooler temperatures, the differences in the number of hours of daylight, the work we do, the games we play, even the food we eat are all part of a cycle that brings routine and comfort to us. At the same time, as we reflect on our  past, the seasons often mark changes that occurred in our lives, our relationships, our career or material accomplishments, our heartbreaks, regrets and even the passing of loved ones. 

So, no matter what the season when you read this issue of Mosaic 2.0, we hope that the ideas and images shared here stimulate your senses and your thinking.
Happy reading!

Sincerely,
Paula Hayden

Coordinator, Advanced Writing Centre
College of the North Atlantic-Qatar

No Distance from Doha. Photo by Paula Hayden.

Tradition

by Paula Hayden

Alec sips his Starbucks coffee. It’s a “bold pick of the day,” but he doesn’t know the bean. Doesn’t care. He is happy to enjoy the comfort a coffee brings him as he sits in the mall reflecting on his decision to move here.  It was a no-brainer. Money talks. Still, this place is not quite what he thought it would be. He had had visions of mud-bricked buildings in dusty enclaves, small shops and bazaars, local grocers, and neighborhoods dotted with patches of green. He had had pictures in his head of old men—always old, always men—sitting contentedly out of the sun instreet cafes playing games and sharing stories. Pieces of that impression do exist, but the city is more, much more, than that. Alec lights a cigarette, despite the sign forbidding it. He is not sure he can reconcile the images he had of this Arab nation as a desolate desert with the reality he is living. He is sitting in a mall. He is drinking a coffee. At Starbucks.  He first hears, and then sees, five women approaching the coffee shop. They are each clothed head to toe in a black abaya, shayla, and niqab. Only their eyes show. The shopping bags they carry from Zara, Dolce and Gabbana, and Ralph Lauren, are testament to the fine shopping they have enjoyed. The Gucci, Coach, and Prada purses they carry also speak to their tastes and the money they have to spend. Will I ever get used to this? Alec wonders. The call to prayer echoes lowly through the mall loudspeakers. Alec takes another sip of coffee. I’ll try, he decides.

Souq Waqif: Heart of Doha. Photo by Paula Hayden.

From the Editor

Welcome to the first edition of Mosaic 2.0!

In 2008, the Advanced Writing Centre (AWC) at College of the North Atlantic-Qatar (CNAQ) launched a community outreach writing program. It consisted of a series of workshops offered free of charge to members of the general public in Doha, Qatar, including citizens as well as members of the expatriate community. Participants were invited to submit their poems, stories, and essays to Mosaic, a print publication whose name accurately represented the diversity of authors living in the country. The response to the writing workshops and to the publication was overwhelmingly positive. It highlighted a need for a forum where writers in Qatar could have a voice, and so Mosaic 2.0 was born!

In addition to supporting new voices, Mosaic 2.0 also aims to provide an outlet for experienced creative and scholarly writers. It is meant to be a forum where writers’ purposes - whether to provide entertainment, give information, or spark debate - can be expressed and explored.

The theme for this debut edition is “new beginnings,” and in keeping with the intended eclectic nature of Mosaic 2.0, the writers whose work appears represent various interpretations of that idea. Experienced writer Matthias Krug’s short story provides a glimpse of an immigrant’s first days, while the new voice of M. Hari

Subbiah’s poem on war gives us cause to reflect. Scholarly writing from Dr. Alan Weber gives new life to English poets who might otherwise have remained obscure.
Bringing to reality the dream of an online journal that welcomes such diversity in authors and genres has been the work of the enthusiastic AWC team at CNAQ. Matthew Stranach has provided all the technical design and support; he has been joined by Adam Larson and Kevin Pittman in working with me to review and select the work that appears.

I hope you enjoy Mosaic 2.0 and that you are inspired to share it with others!

Sincerely,

Paula Hayden
Coordinator, Advanced Writing Centre
College of the North Atlantic-Qatar