I spent the summer in Qatar, although now that I think of it, it is probably always summer in Qatar. I remember we had a conversation with our driver, and he said, 'Winter is coming soon.' Then we asked the temperature during winter, and he said 22-24 degrees.😂

I haven’t been to a lot of countries yet, but Qatar currently tops my chart of best countries, leading in everything but the sea.

I’ll give the sea to Dakar, the first country I ever visited. Dakar, Qatar, what a coincidence lol.

Anyway, this trip healed me. I spent 7 days with my long-time friends from the university, and the bond, the catch-up, everything was good. I fell a bit sick during the first few days, but my friends took care of me so well.

Mezu specialized in making me laugh and bringing new TikTok steps for us to practice, while 001 specialized in swiping his card and making me tea every night. The sweetest duo 🥹

Of course, I vlogged the entire trip. I had to cut down on many activities, but we have a 48-minute vlog to unwind with this Saturday morning, and it’s okay if you can’t watch it now; you can keep it for later at night when you’re less busy.

Warning: You might see some parts of me that you never knew existed. Ignore it; only my guys get to see that part😂

We stayed somewhere in the Al Saad district at a magnificent hotel called La Cigale. This place met and surpassed all my imaginations. I mean, I expected a good standard for a five-star hotel, but this? This was top-notch.

I’m going to rate everything in Qatar from my POV.

Let’s start with the food. I did not try the local Qatari dish, but 001 says it’s not good. And 001 likes almost anything, so for him to say it’s not good, then it’s really not good.

In Qatar, we tried general Asian cuisine, then we tried Italian, and we also tried Indian. We did Junk as well: burgers, fries, ice cream, and cake. Let me rate the full experience:

• Italian -1/10

• Asian - 8/10

• Indian - 9.8/10

• Junk at Juniors - 5/10

• Breakfast at the hotel - 8/10

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​Now onto the people.

Oh, the people of Doha are kind and loving. They have kind, beautiful eyes that only flicker at you for two seconds before they lower their gaze with something that feels like respect. The men generally avoid talking to women. If you’re with a man, they’ll speak to the man instead. They don’t stare, they don’t touch, they genuinely respect women. I mean, I did catch one or two long stares, but who can you blame?

Not sure if it is good hotel customer service or the general culture, but everyone was so polite! Always speaking with a smile and genuinely willing to help.

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​For the culture? Modesty wins.

I can count the number of calves and arms I saw around the city. Everyone is covered, and they expect you to be as well. There’s just one problem: it is 32 degrees outside, you guys! How do these people wear black long abayas and suits and function properly in such temperature? To be fair, there is air conditioning in every store, car, and even installed in some streets.

You have to carry scarves to cover your arms in certain places like the museum, the Villaggio Mall, and other public spaces.

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​For activities, I’ll give the city a 7/10, and that’s an A.

Doha has almost anything. It has the luxury streets, the dry deserts, the tropical beaches, the skyline views, everything. I’m giving it a 7/10 because I’m sure I’ll experience better in new countries. You see what I did there? 😌

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Overall, Qatar is beautiful. I had a good time.

We're rested and ready to take on the next task: HOST THE BEST PHYSICAL EVENT FOR WRITERS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA.

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Wait— you’re really going to read my long emails to the end, watch my 48-minute vlog, and not attend my event? Explain that to me… You know what, don’t explain; get your tickets.

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